The Bonds That We Hold Dear
by vannahfanfics
Summary: A oneshot collection for the fandom of Naruto. DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters presented in these stories, aside from my OCs. These rights belong exclusively to Masashi Kishimoto. My requests are currently: FINAL CALL! Requests will be closing soon!
1. Foreword

Hello everyone! Welcome to my oneshot collection for Naruto, _The Bonds That We Hold Dear! _It includes a variety of stories, from passionate romances to tales of friendship, and I hope everyone enjoys reading them as much as I enjoy writing them. If you have migrated here from _Cuddle Corner, _thank you for sticking with me; if you are new, welcome and enjoy what I have here! In either case, happy reading!

I do take prompts/pairing and story requests (in fact, I love them, so please feel free to request!). However, there are a couple of guidelines to keep in mind:

If a prompt is submitted, I do not guarantee that I will agree to write it. If I feel uncomfortable at the prompt or otherwise feel like I do not possess enough information to adequately complete the prompt, it is my right to politely refuse to take the prompt. If the prompt is from a series that I have not read/seen, it is likely that I will place the prompt on hold until I have done so. If the prompt is from an anime filler arc, I may refuse or require a short explanation of the filler arc to provide me with enough detail to complete the prompt. Please respect my choice as an author to refuse prompts.

Most of the stories I write are male/female, mostly because this is what I am comfortable writing. However, if you wish to suggest a female/female or male/male prompt, please feel free to do so. I don't discriminate against such pairings and will most likely write them if requested, it is just unlikely that I will do so spontaneously. Again, please respect my decision as the author to refuse to write a pairing if I cannot draw appropriate inspiration.

Finally, this is _not _a place for smut. I respect people who read and/or write it, but I am not one of those people, so please do not request anything that is NSFW. Other than NSFW, there are two other things to keep I mind. _I do not romanticize cheating_. So if I feel your request involves something of this nature, I will politely refuse. I have been hassled about this before, so please don't press me on it. Secondly, _I am sensitive about large age gaps between characters_. These will be taken on a case-by-case basis and depends on the age of the characters as well as their relationship. I am particularly iffy concerning student-teacher relationships, and those will most likely be refused. Of course, everyone is entitled to their preferences and I will never harass you or judge you if you request something of this nature. All I ask is that if I refuse, you take is gracefully, and don't get upset if I happen to write another pairing with an age gap because the circumstances are most likely radically different. I promise you that I have my reasons.

Below is also a list of my other oneshot collections. Please do stop by if any of them pique your interest! Is there a fandom you love not represented? Please recommend it to me! I love new things to read.

Love on the High Seas _(One Piece)_

Tales of Connected Souls _(Bleach)_

Tales from the Four Tribes _(Avatar: The Last Airbender and Avatar: The Legend of Korra)_

Equivalent Exchange: My Life for Yours _(Fullmetal Alchemist)_

Love Burning Bright _(Blue Exorcist)_

Tales of the Dawning Sun _(Yona of the Dawn)_

Love on a Fairy's Wing _(Fairy Tail)_

Tales of Resonating Souls _(Soul Eater)_

Tales from Ouran High _(Ouran High School Club)_

One Sky, One Destiny _(Kingdom Hearts)_

Tales from Edo _(Gintama)_

Tales of Scattered Realms _(Final Fantasy Franchise)_

Tales of the Zodiac _(Fruits Basket)_

Tales of Heroes and Villains _(My Hero Academia)_

Tales of Sinners and Saints _(The Seven Deadly Sins)_

Memories of the World Between_ (Noragami)_

Tales of the Mafia _(Katekyo Hitman Reborn!) _


	2. Index

**Chapter 1:** An Unexpected Addition _(Sasuke & Sakura & Naruto)_

**Chapter 2:** Hide and Seek _(Naruto & Himawari)_

**Chapter 3:** The First Time Babysitting _(Gaara & Kankuro & Temari & Shikadai)_

**Chapter 4:** Valentine's Day _(Naruto/Hinata)_

**Chapter 5:** Bad Dream _(Naruto & Boruto)_

**Chapter 6:** Another Sleepless Night _(Sasuke/Sakura)_

**Chapter 7:** Colors_ (Shikamaru/Temari)_

**Chapter 8:** Home _(Minato/Kushina)_

**Chapter 9:** Christmas Morning _(Sakura & Sasuke & Sarada)_

**Chapter 10:** A Dog's Day _(Akamaru & Kiba)_

**Chapter 11:** Marry Me _(Shikamaru/Female OC)_

**Chapter 12:** Her, Like the Sun, and Him, Like the Clouds_ (Shikamaru/Temari)_

**Chapter 13**: Glowing _(Gaara & Lee & Naruto)_

**Chapter 14:** Life's a Circus_ (Sakura & Naruto)_

**Chapter 15:** Winter's Embrace_ (Shikadai/Sarada)_

**Chapter 16:** We Could Be In Love_ (Shikamaru/Sakura)_

**Chapter 17:** Galaxia de Primavera_ (Shikamaru/Sakura)_

**Chapter 18:** Rest for the Weary _(Shikamaru/Sakura)_

**Chapter 19:** Lucid Dream_ (Shikamaru/Sakura)_

**Chapter 20:** Where Time Stood Still_ (Shikamaru/Sakura)_

**Chapter 21:** Rainshowers_ (Shikamaru/Sakura)_

**Chapter 22:** Broken_ (Shikamaru/Sakura)_

**Chapter 23:** Correspondence _(Shikamaru/Temari)_

**Chapter 24:** Desert Rose_ (Shikamaru/Temari)_

**Chapter 25:** A Place in this World_ (Ino)_


	3. An Unexpected Addition

Category: Friendship Fluff/Mild Romantic Fluff

Characters: Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Sasuke Uchiha

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura splashed across the sidewalk, holding their jackets above their heads to stave off the pouring rain. The swell had come along unexpectedly while they were on a trip to the corner store to buy a six-pack of beer for a typical Friday night, and has caught then unawares. As lightning crashed overhead and thunder rolled across the story grey clouds, the trio of young adults hurried through the night to their apartment.

"Agh! This is my favorite jacket!" Naruto whined as he took the steps to the apartment two at a time, grimacing as the water pouring from the roof crashed over him like a violent waterfall, drenching him from head to toe. He shuddered as he felt the streams of storm water running down his back, making him wriggle uncomfortably. He stamped his feet on the mat as he bundled with his friends by the front door, and Sasuke cursed as he fumbled in his pants pockets for the keys.

"This sucks," the raven-haired boy muttered, flicking his bangs out of his face and sending droplets of water arcing through the air. Finally, the boy managed to retrieve the set of apartment keys and shoved past the blonde-haired boy to stick them into the lock and open the door. Abruptly, Sakura unleashed a shrill scream, and the two boys glanced down to see a furry _something _darting past their feet to bolt into the entryway and scrabble across the linoleum floor into their kitchen.

"What was that?" Sakura wailed in distress as she clung to Sasuke's back, her jeans leg soaked from where the little creature had shot past her. Naruto raised his eyebrows uncertainly as he stepped into the apartment, following the little wet puddles of water down the hallway and into the kitchen. Whatever it was sat huddled in the corner of the room, trembling violently. It had curled up into a tiny ball, and so it was impossible to tell what exactly it was.

Sakura peered over his shoulder, blinking as water dripped from her bubblegum pink hair, and Sasuke came up on his other side with a raised eyebrow.

"What should we do with it?" Sasuke asked grumpily.

"Poke it with a stick?" Naruto suggested. Sakura blinked, and then grabbed the next best thing- a wooden spoon. She shoved it into his hands and shoved him forward, and the rapid movement startled the little creature, making it squeak in alarm and push itself father into the corner. Naruto swallowed and slowly crouched down, holding out the wooden spoon gingerly toward the little furball. _God, I hope it's not a rat! _He thought with a small whine as he squeezed his eyes shut and prodded the sopping wet _thing _with the end of the spoon. He heard Sakura cry out, and his eyes shot open to see that the little creature had raised its head.

"It's a kitten," Sasuke remarked. Indeed, the small, baby cat was gazing at him with wide blue eyes. It was a bedraggled thing with matted gray fur and unusually big ears. The kitten mewed pitifully and came tottering over to him, and Naruto hastily dropped the wooden spoon to pick the kitten up in his hands. It was so tiny that it easily fit in his palm. He held the pathetic creature to his chest and stood up, turning around so the other two could see.

"Oh! It's so cute," Sakura cooed and reached out to gently scratch the top of the kitten's head. Naruto smiled sweetly as he felt it begin to purr loudly. "Awww… Poor little thing. He's drenched…" she frowned.

"I guess it must have got caught in the rain just like us," Sasuke remarked, reaching out to grab a dish towel and toss it to Naruto. He caught it and wrapped the kitten in it, rubbing it vigorously to dry its fur and warm it up. The kitten made mewling sounds and squirmed in his grasp, making him snicker. Sakura walked to the cabinet to retrieve a bowl and then to the refrigerator to grab the jug of milk, and then squatted down to pour some milk into the bowl. Naruto bent down and set the kitten back down on the floor, smiling as he watched it totter to the milk sand begin lapping it up eagerly. Due to the vigorous rubbing, it's fur was sticking out in all directions, like he was some fluffy pincushion.

"He is so precious! Oh, can we keep him?" Sakura laughed as she petted the baby cat happily. She looked up pleadingly at Sasuke, who snorted and looked away as he scratched his neck. Sasuke, being the major provider of the household since he was the only one with a job at the moment and the primary lease holder, had the final say.

"Please, Sasuke?" Naruto pleaded and clapped his hands together in a form of begging.

"Come on, guys, I don't have the money to take care of some scrawny cat," he mumbled as he gazed down at the bedraggled creature. It looked up at Sasuke and mewed, milk dripping from its little mouth. Sasuke raised an eyebrow and went lightly pink, then sighed heavily and shoved his feet deep into his pockets. "Ugh. One night, and then we take it to the shelter in the morning," he compromised and went stomping off through the apartment, shoes squelching as he walked. Sakura and Naruto pouted in disappointment, while the oblivious kitten wobbled about exploring its new environment.

After the three of them had changed into warm clothes, they gathered in the living room with their six-pack of beer to sit in front of the television and watch the Friday night football game. Even though Naruto was the most interested in the sport, they still made a little tradition of it, because it was something to do and an excuse to drink. Naruto propped his feet up on the table and sipped his beer, and an eyebrow crept up as the little gray kitten scampered into the room and began nosing around. It wasn't long until it sauntered up to the couch and began jumping up, meowing at them.

"Hehe," Naruto smirked and bent down to grab it by the scruff and pull it onto the couch. It stood up on its tummy and stared at the television, its little tail waving, before yawning and curling up on his belly. It began to purr again, so loudly that its entire body vibrated, and Naruto smiled and stroked the little kitten's back soothingly.

"Look at it, Sasuke," Sakura pressed, wrapping her arms around her boyfriend's and tugging on it pleadingly. The man gave a sidelong glance at the kitten and sniffed, obviously not impressed. He just took a long swig of his beer and settled down into the couch, staring blankly at the flashing screen.

After finishing off the six-pack and a particularly uninteresting game, the three ended up fast asleep on the living room couch. Sasuke awoke groggily and was perplexed to feel a small weight on his chest, and he glanced down to see that the kitten had wound itself around his neck, snoozing under his chin. His eyes widened slightly at the slightly uncomfortable feeling of the fur against his skin, and as he shifted slightly, the kitten raised its head to stare up at him with wide, curious blue eyes. It meowed quietly, then licked his chin with its tiny, scratchy pink tongue. He felt the heat rise to his cheeks. _Now that I think about it… It is kind of cute… _he thought, reaching up with a finger to scratch it under the chin.

The kitten began to purr loudly, its eyes drifting closed in happiness. A smile formed on Sasuke's face; he couldn't help it. _Little furball… _

"Well. Looks like Sasuke isn't that tough after all, huh?" came a snide voice, and Sasuke blushed to see that Naruto was grinning stupidly at him. The cat raised its head at the sound of his voice, then hopped down from Sasuke's chest to crawl up Naruto's and begin licking his chin. His friend snickered and wriggled under the tickling sensation, petting the kitten happily. At the commotion, Sakura stirred and sat up sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

"Ah, he slept with us," she smiled gently. "He has no idea that he's about to leave, does he?" she added with a small sigh. Sasuke wrinkled his nose as surprising guilt welled up inside him, and as he watched the little kitten waddle over to Sakura and begin mewing. _She looks so happy, _he thought as his girlfriend's face lit up with delight. Talking it a high-pitched, nonsense voice, she began playing with it, flipping it onto its back to tickle its belly. "Haha! It's a boy!" she laughed.

"… Let's keep him," Sasuke said abruptly, and both Sakura and Naruto gasped as they looked up at him in surprise.

"Really? What about all that stuff about not having the money?" Naruto cried.

"Eh. I'll be getting a promotion soon. Plus, he's small, he probably doesn't eat that much," Sasuke smirked and reached out to pet the kitten. The little thing was still in a playful mood, and so it chomped down onto the end of his index finger, nibbling at it eagerly. "Huh. What do you guys think about naming him Nibbles?" he mused.

"Nibbles," Naruto nodded in approval. "I think it's great."

"Yeah. Nibbles, how do you like that?" Sakura giggled and picked up the cat to hold it up in front of her face. The cat mewed happily, and that was how the three young twenty-somethings landed the unexpected addition to their family.


	4. Hide and Seek

Category: Family Fluff

Characters: Naruto Uzumaki and Himawari Uzumaki

Naruto glanced up from the mission report he was writing at the kitchen table when he heard furious footsteps echoing down the hallway. As he straightened up to roll his stiff shoulders, his eyebrows raised as his three-year-old daughter came careening around the corner, her unsteady feet lathering over the wooden floor as she ran up to her father. He could not help but smile at her in her little dress and little shoes. _I really have an adorable daughter! _He grinned, scooting out his chair as she approached. Giggling, she huffed his leg with chubby arms.

"Daddy! Place hide and go seek with me!" Himawari begged with a wide smile, pulling at the leg of his jumpsuit pleadingly. "Please? Please?" She insisted as he looked back down at the half-finished report. "Mommy is doing laundry, so she can't play!" As she gazed expectantly up at him with pleading blue eyes, he felt his heart constrict at the thought of refusing her.

"Okay," he agreed, and she squeaked with delight and stamped her feet as he obediently rose from the kitchen chair. She jumped up to grab him by the hand, and he had to stoop so she could pull him along into the living room.

"Here, Daddy! Sit here!" she commanded eagerly and pointed to the living room couch. He plopped down as bid, and, with some effort, Himawari clambered up beside him and sat up on her knees. "Now close your eyes! No peeking, Daddy!" she warned him as she reached up and closed his eyes with her tiny fingers. As a smile spread across his face, she giggled. "Count to ten- no, twenty!" she demanded. He felt her wriggle down off the couch and landed unsteadily on the living room floor, and then poke him in the knee. "You're not peeking, right?" She asked suspiciously.

"Of course not!" he huffed proudly, screwing his eyes shut tighter so his daughter could see. "Now, go hide! One… Two…" As he began to count, Himawari screamed and took off into the house, and he heard the feverish pitter-patter of her steps echo throughout the building. He leaned back into the couch with a wide smile, reminded of how blessed he was to have such a wonderful family. "Fifteen… Sixteen…"

"Wait! Wait! I'm not ready!" Himawari wailed, and he heard her run from one end of the house to the other in her desperate attempt to find a hiding spot.

"Nineteen… Nineteen and a quarter… Nineteen and a half… Nineteen and three-quarters… Twenty!" he shouted and opened his eyes, giving a quick sweep around the room before rising from the couch and proceeding into the hallway. He slunk across the wooden floor, snickering. "Come out, come out, where ever you are!" he called into the house, and he froze for a moment when he heard a distant, girlish giggle. Adjusting his course to the sound, he proceeded into the master bedroom.

"Himawaaaaariiiii," he called with a grin, and as expected, the young girl who thought she was clever couldn't help but release a stream of laughter. It was much closer now, and he followed the sound to the adjacent spare bedroom. In the curtain was a suspicious Himawari-sized lump. Naruto straightened up, then grinned and made a show of making his rounds around the room. "Are you in here?!" he cried as he wrenched the closer door open, and the lump in the curtain quivered a little. "Nope. How about… under the bed?" he said loudly as he dropped to the floor to look beneath the bed frame. He could see Himawari's little shoes peeking out from beneath the curtain. "Not here, either? Oh, where is my little Himawari?" he sighed deeply and stood up. The lump giggled, then gasped and shushed itself. Naruto clasped his hands behind his back and strolled around the room in fake thought. "Oh, well. I guess she isn't here!" he announced before leaving the room. He heard his daughter's giggles floating after him.

Naruto made a racket searching the rest of the house, occasionally inciting more laughter from the toddler, before he collapsed onto the living room couch with a dramatic sigh. "I can't find Himawari anywhere!" he walked, placing a hand over his eyes in mock misery. "I guess she's gone forever… oh, what will I do?" he cried and then began to loudly fake cry. It wasn't long before the feverish pitter-patter echoed through the house again.

"No, Daddy! Don't cry! I'm here, I'm here!" she cried as she launched herself at him, and he grinned widely as he caught her under the arms and lifted her high into the air.

"There you are! Oh, I was do worried I would never find you!" he smiled happily and then dropped her into a tight hug.

"Ow! Daddy, you're squishing me!" Himawari laughed as he rocked her back and forth, hugging her tightly. He propped her up on his knees to kiss her forehead. She smiled brightly at him and squirmed under his assault of affection. "Okay, Daddy! Your turn to hide!" she grinned as she waved her arms emphatically and pointed to the hallway. He set her down on the couch and took off as she covered her eyes and began counting.

_I really do have the best family! _He thought with a snicker as he listened to his daughter's voice echoing through the house. _Now, where to hide?_


	5. The First Time Babysitting

Category: Family Fluff

Characters: Gaara, Kankuro, Temari, and Shikadai Nara

Gaara sat cross-legged on the floor of his sister's home, smiling slightly as he watched his eight-month-old nephew sprawled out on his belly fervently coloring in a coloring book. The boy still hadn't grasped the concept of staying in the lines yet, but any time he grabbed the book and held it up for his young uncle to see, Gaara made a point to act as if it were the greatest work of art he had ever clapped eyes on. Shikadai would giggle excitedly and then resume working with gusto. _I can't believe he's almost a year old already, _the Kazekage thought with a small sigh. _Next thing you know, I'll be old… _

"Hey, squirt, throw some blue in there," Kankuro called to the child with a small smirk. His elder brother, and his advisor, was stretched out on the couch with one leg up and his hands behind his head, watching the little boy in amusement. Shikadai blinked up at him, glanced down at his pile of crayons, and stared thoughtfully at them before grabbing the blue one and holding it up to his other uncle. "Yeah. That one!" Kankuro affirmed, and Shikadai grinned before scribbling madly all over the depiction of a puppy he was currently filling in.

"Ugh, I can't believe this!" came an irritated cry from the kitchen. Gaara and Kankuro both turned as their sister Temari walked into the room wearing an annoyed expression. "Guys, I'm sorry, but I just realized that there were a few things that I left off the shopping list for dinner tonight. You don't mind hanging out here while I go get them, do you?"

"Nope. Means I can catch a nap," Kankuro mused and promptly rolled onto his side to face the back of the couch. Gaara narrowed his eyes slightly as Temari walked across the room and leaned down to pick up Shikadai.

"Come on, you're going to go shopping with Mommy," she sighed as she lifted the boy into her arms and squatted down to begin cleaning up his coloring workspace.

"Temari, you don't have to take him. Kankuro and I can watch him," Gaara offered. Part of him was just being polite, but another part of him really hoped that she agreed; even though Shikadai was already eight months old, he had never actually babysat his nephew for any extensive amount of time. At his brother's offer, Kankuro made a choking sound and abruptly say up with wide eyes. Temari narrowed hers.

"Are you sure?" She asked, her expression betraying hesitation. "I'll be gone for an hour or two, and Shikadai _is_ a handful sometimes…"

"If I can handle leading the Allied Shinobi Forces to war, I can handle babysitting a toddler," he frowned up at her. Kankuro whined loudly and flopped back into the couch cushions, but made no move to openly object. Temari glanced down at her precious baby, weighing the options, then nodded and stopped down to set Shikadai back down onto the rug.

"All right. Let me get my things together, and I'll explain what you need to do," she agreed and walked out of the room. Gaara smiled at his young nephew and reached out to gently poke him in the forehead.

"Looks like you and I are going to be getting to know each other better." He grimaced and hurriedly withdrew his hand as Shikadai clamped his mouth on his index finger; slightly disgusted, Gaara wiped off the baby's saliva on his hand while Kankuro snorted with laughter.

About fifteen minutes later, Shikadai was sitting in a high chair banging a plastic spoon around while the two brothers stood with their sister in the doorway.

"Okay. Make sure he eats all of this. He's picky, so it may take a while," Temari instructed as she held a jar of baby food out to them. Gaara took it with a nod. "Are you sure you guys don't need me to explain how to change a diaper again?" She asked with raised eyebrows.

"Come on, Temari, it's not that hard. We can do it," Kankuro frowned as he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked doubtfully at the toddler. Temari sniffed, but did not refute him.

"He shouldn't want to take a nap until after I get back, but on the off chance he does get tired, he usually likes a lullaby before you lay him down into the crib," she added with a fretful look at Shikadai. He heard Kankuro mutter, "I am _not _singing to that brat." "Make sure not to feed him too fast, he may get a stomachache. If he does, I have medicine-"

"Temari," Gaara interjected with a small smile. "We'll take care of him. Promise. Leave it to us." Temari blinked at him, then sighed deeply and nodded slowly. Then, with a small wave to her child, she bowed her head to her brothers and exited the house. Gaara closed the door after her, and turned to look at his nephew, who had begun screaming and bouncing in his high chair.

"What have you gotten us into?" Kankuro groaned, then hastily ducked as Shikadai flung the spoon at the front door. The boy laughed hysterically as the utensil landed into Kankuro's brown hair. Gaara smiled and clapped his brother on the back before gripping the jar of baby food and proceeding into the kitchen. Kankuro cursed before following after him with the spoon.

"Okay, Shikadai, it's time to eat," Gaara said as he opened the tiny jar and retrieved the spoon from his brother. He scooped up a small spoonful of the party substance and held it to Shikadai's mouth. The boy blinked, then abruptly cried out and flung the spoon away. Gaara jumped as pureed peas and carrots splattered across his face and into his hair. Kankuro blinked, then fell to the floor in a hysterical fit of laughter, while Gaara sighed deeply and cleaned off his face with a napkin. "Shikadai. You have to eat this. Your mother said so," he frowned and tried again. This time, Shikadai flung the spoon into Kankuro's face, which made him feel slightly better about the whole situation.

"Oh, come on, you little brat," Kankuro frowned as he wiped his face off with a black sleeve. Snatching the jar and spoon from Gaara, he scooped up the baby food and held it out, but far enough out of Shikadai's reach that it would not be flung a third time. The baby stuck out his tongue before turning his nose up at it.

"I think we have to convince him it's good," Gaara frowned.

"What? Ugh, fine," Kankuro grumbled before chomping down on the spoon. Gaara raised an eyebrow as a visible shudder ran from his brother's toes to the tip of his hair, but to his credit, he swallowed and forced a smile. "See, it's good. _Now eat it_," he huffed and tried again. Shikadai stared at it thoughtfully before inching forward and opening his mouth obediently. Laughing lightly, Kankuro put the spoon in his waiting mouth, and Shikadai ate it and smacked his lips together, a little bit of the baby food leaking out of his mouth.

"Well, that's a start," Gaara sighed as Shikadai looked expectantly up at Kankuro and opened his mouth again.

"Yeah. It's kinda cute," Kankuro smiled lightly and spooned more of the mixture into the baby's mouth. After that, it was quite easy to get Shikadai to finish off the jar, and after cleaning up the toddlerXs face they brought him back into the living room and set him down on the rug. "Now what?" Kankuro blinked as they both stared down at the baby, who was sitting on his behind staring right back at them. They both cried out in alarm as he abruptly began to wail.

"Ah! What's wrong with him?" Gaara cried.

"Don't ask me!" Kankuro yelled back. Shikadai raised his hands to his eyes as he cried harder, tears streaming down his chubby cheeks.

"Waaaaaah! Maaaamaaaaa!" he sobbed.

"Eh? He wants Temari!" Kankuro realized, then, with a strained smile, he reached out and awkwardly patted Shikadai's head. "Your mom went to the store. She'll be back soon, Shikadai. Don't you want to have fun with your uncles?" Shikadai screamed so loud that Gaara's rang and slapped Kankuro's hand, making his brother scowl and snap his arm back, cradling it against his chest. "What do we do?" he hissed to Gaara.

"Uh… Uh… What do babies like? Oh!" he gasped and covered his face with both hands. "Peek-a-boo!" he cried and revealed his face, leaning forward. Shikadai stopped wailing and stared at him miserably, sniffling with snot running down his face. _It's working. _Gaara covered his face again. "Where's Shikadai?" he asked, then uncovered his face and shot forward again. "There he is!" Shikadai jumped, then giggled and waved his arms in excitement. The toddler then turned to Kankuro, who just stared. Gaara nudged him roughly in the ribs with his elbow.

"What? Oh, man. Fine," he sighed and covered his face. "Wherrrrrre's Shikadai?" he asked, then repeated his brother's actions. "There he is!" Delighted now, Shikadai laughed uncontrollably. Grinning, the two brothers took turns playing peek-a-boo with the little boy until they were both panting from the effort and Shikadai had fallen onto his back and was kicking his stubby feet into the air. Abruptly, they both wrinkled their noses as a foul smell wafted up from the baby's diaper.

"Oh no," Gaara frowned as he straightened up.

"I guess we have to change it," Kankuro nodded. They retrieved the diaper bag Temari had left for them and settled Shikadai on his back on the floor, then frowned as they gazed hesitantly down at the task at hand. "Uh. You do it!" his brother cried and thrust the clean diaper at him.

"You're the older one. You do it," Gaara shook his head and thrust it back. Despite what he had said to Temari, this seemed to be a much bigger problem than he had anticipated.

"What happened to 'I led the Allied Shinobi Forces; I can do anything'?" Kankuro shot back in a mocking voice and slammed him in the chest with the diaper. Gaara felt the wind get knocked out of him, and now that his pride was bruised, he glared at Kankuro and snatched the absorbent underpants haughtily and situated himself in front of the cooing baby. He felt a bead of sweat run down the side of his face as he tried to recall Temari brief instructions. _Okay… First I undo these straps here, _he recalled and reached down, pulling off the velcro-like straps that secured the diaper. As it dropped open, both he and Kankuro covered their noses and almost retched.

"What died?!" Kankuro wailed with watery eyes. Gaara steeled his nerves and glanced back down at the soiled diaper, having found a new respect for mothers and his sister, and held his breath as he returned to the task. Quickly, he grabbed Shikadai gently by the ankles and lifted him up to wipe his little behind and replace the soiled diaper. Kankuro quickly wrapped it up and jumped up to dispose of the vile thing into the outside trashcan, while Gaara wrestled with placing the new diaper on his nephew.

"No, stay still," he huffed as Shikadai started to roll onto his belly. Struggling with the straps, he looked up unconfidently at his brother when he returned, who grabbed Shikadai under the arms to hold him up. They both watched miserably as the diaper fell to the floor with a soft _plop. _

"Well, that's not right," Kankuro sighed. Shikadai blinked at them, and then the brothers cried out in disgust as the little boy suddenly decided that it was a good time to empty his bladder. Looking forlornly down at his wet front, Kankuro laid the boy back down and tried to hold onto the last shred of his patience. "You are as annoying as your father," he grumbled as he snatched up another diaper and fumbled to put it onto the wriggling child. After a few more tries and another unexpected bath, they managed to produce an acceptable product.

"I never want kids," Kankuro huffed as he watched Shikadai stack blocks on the living room floor. Gaara pulled at the collar of his uncomfortably wet shirt and nodded in agreement. By the time their clothes had dried, they were wondering where Temari was. Suddenly, Shikadai yawned loudly and looked at them, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Tired," he mumbled and promptly flopped over onto his side. Gaara sighed and rose to his feet to walk over to the baby and lift him into his arms.

"All right. Let's get you to bed," he huffed and stepped gingerly over the scattered blocks to walk to the baby's bedroom. He flipped on the lights and walked over to the crib, laying him gently down onto his back and putting a stuffed animal beside him. Shikadai screamed in protest and launched it at the red-haired man's face. "What? What did I do wrong?" Gaara shouted and picked the boy back up, holding up the crying baby.

"Didn't Temari say something about a lullaby?" Kankuro called from the doorstep. Gaara glanced back as his older brother walked into the room and took the young boy out of his hands and propped him up on his chest. Frowning awkwardly, he began to bounce slowly back and forth while humming a soft tune under his breath. Shikadai cried for another minute or so, then began to settle down as Kankuro paced the room and hummed louder. Soon enough, the boy was snoring softly with his head propped on Kankuro's shoulder.

"Whoa. You're not half bad at this," Gaara remarked as his elder brother laid the sleeping child down in the crib, then straightened up and stretched his arms over his head to crack his back.

"Jeez, who knew babies were so heavy?" he groaned, then yawned loudly and cracked an eye open to gaze thoughtfully down at their nephew. "… You know, I don't think having a kid would be half-bad either." Gaara looked down at Shikadai, with one arm around a stuffed animal and the other held up by his face as his slept soundly.

"Yeah," he smiled softly.

Temari cursed under her breath as she propped the bag of groceries against the front door and fumbled for the keys.

"I can't believe I got carried away talking to Sakura… Those boys must be ready to pull their hair out!" she sighed as she retrieved what she was searching for and unlocked the door. The house was strangely quiet as she entered, and she raised her eyebrows as she walked to the kitchen and set the bag down. She walked into the living room, where the only evidence of her son was the blocks scattered across the floor. She stopped down to collect them in her arms and dump them into the nearby toy chest and then stood, putting her hands on her hips. _Where are they?_

On a hunch, she walked down the hall and found the door to her son's room closed. She gently turned the doorknob and poked her head inside, and then smiled softly.

Her son was snoring softly in his crib. On the floor, her two brothers were sprawled on their backs, dead to the world. _Little fools tried their hardest, didn't they? _She thought as she tip-toed into the room and walked over to the crib. She watched her son sleep for a moment, then leaned down into the crib to press a kiss to his forehead. She straightened up and looked down, then smiled and squatted down beside each of her brothers, kissing them on their cheeks.

"Sleep well, my boys," she murmured before rising to her feet and exiting the room, quietly shutting the door behind her and walking back to the kitchen to prepare dinner.


	6. Valentine's Day

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Naruto Uzumaki and Hinata Hyuga

Hinata stood over the bubbling pot of chocolate, frowning deeply as she gazed down at the instructions of the back of the homemade chocolate kit box and stirred the thick liquid slowly. _I hope I'm doing this right, _she thought as she read over the recipe instructions for the hundredth time. _I've been making chocolate for Naruto for a few years now, but… I still get unnerved, _she thought with a small sigh and set the box down, continuing to stir the mixture to ensure it didn't burn. It was Valentine's Day, after all, and she wanted the day to go perfectly.

She cried out in alarm as the it suddenly began to bubble faster, and one of them burst and splashed all over her unprotected hand. Her skin burned with a fierce fire as the boiling-hot chocolate seared her skin, sending tendrils of pain writhing up her arm. Tears stinging her eyes, she hardly dialed down the heat before running to the sink to run cold water over her hand, whimpering at the intense pain. When she withdrew her hand, her knuckles and the top of her hand were burning red.

"Ow," she whined and gingerly rubbed the skin, wincing when it flared with intense pain. "Oh, the chocolate!" she cried in alarm and rushed back to the stove to grab the wooden spoon and churn the chocolate furiously. It had thickened, even in the short amount of time, but thankfully it had not burned yet. _Phew. It's almost ready!_ She thought and switched off the heat. She carried the pot over to the counter and began gingerly pouring it into the molds, using the spoon to scoop it into the plastic divets. The heat rising from the molten chocolate made her hand burn all the more terribly, and she held back tears as she finished up scooping out the chocolate and set the dirty pot in the sink. She retrieved the filled molds and set them in the freezer, sighing at the momentary relief of the cool air on her hand.

While she waiting for the chocolates to cool and solidify, she gingerly wrapped her burned hand in small bandages. The feeling of the wrappings on her sensitive skin just made it burn worse, but there was little she could do about it. She tried to find things to do to distract herself from the pain, like reading a book and cleaning up a little, but it always crept back like some kind of insistent puppy begging for attention. By the time she was taking the chocolates out of the freezer and preparing them on a plate for her husband, she was on the borderline of tears.

"Hinata! I'm home!" Naruto's voice floated in through the entryway and into the kitchen. She hastily hid her burned hand in her jacket sleeve, and for once she was grateful that she preferred loose sweaters. As soon as she did, her husband's cheerful face popped into view as he walked through the entrance of the kitchen. "Ooh! Smells good. Chocolate?" he grinned widely, blushing as he recalled what day it was. "Hinata, you didn't have to do this for me," he smiled shyly as he walked around the table to kiss her on the forehead.

"I wanted to, Naruto…" she flushed in slight embarrassment, casting her gaze down so that he wouldn't see the moisture in her eyes. _My hand hurts so much… _she thought as he plopped down into a chair and licked his lips as he eyed the chocolates hungrily. He then blushed and looked up at her like a begging puppy, seemingly asking her permission. "Go ahead!" she laughed. "I made them for you."

"All right!" he cried happily and grabbed one in each hand, shoving them into his mouth. Hinata couldn't help but chuckle. Naruto was a grown man now, but he still acted the same as when they were children. It was like part of him never had grown up. Hinata eased herself down into the chair beside him, careful to keep her hand out of sight as they talked about his day at work. It didn't take him long to scarf down the chocolates, and as he chewed on the last one he leaned back in the chair and exhaled happily.

"Man, that was awesome. You're too good to me," he mused, pulling her by the back of her head to kiss her temple. His gratitude made her flush with happiness. "Oh! I almost forgot!" he cried abruptly and began fishing around in his pockets. Snickering proudly, he procured a long jewelry box. "Here, give me your hand, Hinata," he commanded eagerly, reaching for her injured hand. She stiffened and scooted away, making him raise an eyebrow. _Oh no! Now he's suspicious! _She thought in panic. Before she could react, Naruto snatched her by the wrist and jerked up her jacket sleeve. "Hey… What's wrong with your hand?" he asked quietly, the grip on her relaxing when he saw the bandages around her fingers. His rough movement had caused the pain to flare brightly, and she couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks.

"I… I burned myself," she admitted quietly. _He must think I'm so clumsy… _she thought as he stared sadly down at the bandages. She gasped as he abruptly lifted her hand to his mouth to softly kiss the injured areas of her hands. "Naruto!"

"Hinata… Even with your burned hand, you made these chocolates for me?" he asked quietly, lifting his face slightly so that his blue eyes gazed into her own. She nodded, struck silent by his passionate stare. "As much as I love the chocolate, Hinata, I wish you wouldn't hurt yourself like this…" he murmured, kissing her hand again. Strangely, she found the burning pain beginning to subside. "It makes me sad…" he whispered against her skin.

"I'm sorry, Naruto… I was just so worried that they wouldn't come out right that I got careless," she sighed deeply. He ran his thumb slowly across the top of her hand in rhythmic circles and she was surprised to find that it soothed the pain further. _It doesn't burn anymore… _

"You don't have to worry about things like that. As long as you made it, Hinata, I don't care how it comes out. I'll eat it," he told her with a big smile. "Because I know that it's made with your love, and nothing in this world could be better than that." _Naruto! _She thought, her heart nearly full to bursting with love. She nodded vigorously, unable to answer from the overflow of emotion. He seemed to understand, though, and kissed her hand one more time before opening the jewelry box and placing a glittery bracelet around her wrist. "Happy Valentine's Day, Hinata," he smiled gently as he fastened the bracelet.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Naruto," she answered quietly. She admired the pretty accessory, knowing she would treasure it until the end of her days. She glanced up as she felt Naruto move, and then his lips were against her own. Her heart swelling, she closed her eyes and abandoned herself to the feeling of his kiss.

_I love you, more than anything in the world. I would gladly take a burned hand, over and over again, if it means I can spend all my Valentine's Days with you. _


	7. Bad Dream

Category: Family Fluff

Characters: Naruto Uzumaki and Boruto Uzumaki

Boruto jerked awake in a cold sweat, clutching his blankets tightly as he looked around wildly. His blue eyes searched the dark for whatever phantom had haunted his sleep, only to be met with shadows. His little five-year-old heart was pounding furiously as he anxiously snuggled down into the blankets, trembling slightly with fear. He wasn't sure what had actually frightened him so, but now the room seemed to have come alive; the shadows were dancing with the moonlight streaming in through the window, taunting him and inching closer to his bed. He whimpered and pulled the sheets up to his chin, his eyes sliding to the door. _I… I can make it…! _He thought as he scooted towards the edge of the bed. He warily watched the shifting shadows as he edged closer, then he abruptly tore off the sheets and bolted to the door, throwing it open and taking off down the hallway. His feet pounded against the wooden floor as he raced towards his parents' bedroom. He slowed to a halt in front of the door, standing on his tip-toes to grasp the doorknob and push the door open.

"Daddy?" he called quietly. As the moonlight spilled into the room, it illuminated the sleeping forms of his parents curled up together under the comforter. Boruto tip-toed over to the bed and put his hands on the edge, peering up at his sleeping father. Boruto reached up and poked him repeatedly in the cheek until he snorted and stirred. Naruto groaned and rubbed his eyes sleepily before his blue eyes cracked open and looked down drowsily at his son.

"Ngggh? Boruto?" he yawned and propped himself up onto his elbows. At the sight of the tears in the corners of his son's eyes and the slightly panicked expression, he smiled softly and reached out to gently stroke the boy's hair. "Did you have a bad dream?" he asked, and Boruto nodded sadly. The memory of the scary, dancing shadows and the phantom of whatever nightmare he had suffered surfaced once more, and the tears began to flow freely down his cheeks. As he began to sniffle, his father smiled wider and sat up fully. Boruto whimpered and raised his arms as Naruto reached down to pick him up and gather him into his arms. "Hey, little buddy, don't cry," he soothed.

"It was so scary," Boruto sobbed and buried his face into his father's shoulder, grabbing onto his sleeping shirt as he cried quietly. Naruto wrapped him in a tight hug and rocked him back and forth gently, rubbing his back soothingly.

"I know. It was just a dream. Daddy won't let anything hurt you," Naruto murmured and slipped out of the bed to begin pacing slowly back and forth. Boruto sniffed and wrapped his arms around his father's neck, looking up at him doubtfully. Naruto smiled weakly and raised a hand to wipe his tears away, but it didn't help much, because he was still terrified and crying.

"B-but… But the shadows, Daddy…" he mumbled, looking around at the dark bedroom. He hugged his father tighter as he imagined _those _shadows moving too, reaching out with spindly black claws to pluck him from his father's arms and take him away. He began crying again, and Naruto pushed his head into his chest while gently shushing him.

"Hey, hey, it's all right," he comforted him. "There's nothing to be afraid of."

"B-because you'll protect me, Daddy?" Boruto asked quietly as he looked up tearfully. Naruto smiled and stroked his son's hair comfortingly.

"Of course," he chuckled softly and dried his tears once more. "Daddy won't let anything hurt you. But there's nothing here that can hurt you, Boruto."

"There were shadow monsters in my room!" Boruto protested and looked out at the ajar door, imagining the phantasms lurking just beyond the barrier of the moonlight. "They'll get me…" he whimpered and clutched tightly to his father, laying his head on his shoulder while he stared uncertainly at the door.

"Well, why don't I go chase them away, okay?" Naruto smiled and held him in one arm while grabbing the door and pulling it open. Boruto whimpered and clutched onto his father tightly, looking around fearfully as they proceeded down the hallway. Naruto eased the door of his bedroom open and peered inside. Boruto whined loudly and covered his eyes with his hands, but could not help but peek through the gaps in his little fingers. It was still dark, and he felt his heart begin to pound furiously. _Daddy is strong… He'll protect me… _he thought as Naruto carried him over to the bed and laid him down, pulling the sheets over him and tucking him in. "Now, let's see about those monsters, huh?" he smirked and looked around the room.

"They were everywhere, Daddy," Boruto sniffled and shrunk down under the covers.

"Well, first, let's check under the bed," Naruto huffed and squatted down, turning his head sideways to peer under the bed. "Nope! None here. See?" he said and motioned for Boruto to take a look. The young boy blinked uncertainly, then hesitantly, he crawled over to the edge of the bed and slowly hung down to peek under the bed. He was met with nothing but dust bunnies. _No shadow monsters… _he realized, sitting up. Naruto jumped to his feet to stroll over to the closet and open the door. "No monsters in here, either," he confirmed and shut the door.

"Can you check by the window?" Boruto asked quietly, imagining dark fingers sneaking out from behind the curtains. Naruto smiled and snuck over to the window to dramatically wrench the curtains aside. Moonlight streamed into the room, chasing away the rest of the lingering shadows. "No monsters here," Naruto smiled at him. Boruto glanced around, then sighed deeply as he finally relaxed. _I'm safe… _"All right, now, go to sleep," Naruto smiled and walked back over. Boruto snuggled back under the covers as his father gently leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. He then frowned and looked around doubtfully.

"Daddy… What if they're only hiding? What if they are scared of you, and when you leave, they come out?" he whispered fearfully. Naruto cocked his head to the side thoughtfully, then smiled softly and stroked his hair again. "Will… will you stay with me for a little while? Because maybe if you stay, they'll get scared and run away!" he thought. Naruto raised an eyebrow, then smiled slightly and nodded.

"Okay, okay," he laughed and sat down on the edge of the bed, scooching Boruto over as he stretched out beside him. Instantly comforted, Boruto sighed happily and curled up beside his father, who yawned and wrapped an arm around him.

"Goodnight, Daddy," he murmured as he yawned, sleep finally coming back to him. Wrapped in his father's arm, a smile formed on his face. _Daddy will always keep me safe… _


	8. Another Sleepless Night

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno

Prompt was taken from the prompt blog on Tumblr, hellsdemonictrinity! Please give them a visit!

Sasuke's eyes fluttered and cracked open slightly, and when he was met with blinding sunlight, he groaned and quickly shut them again, trying to resist slowly rising into consciousness. He flopped onto his side and drew the comforter over his head to block out the morning sun, an arm reaching out to curl around his girlfriend's waist. When it flopped down against empty bedsheets, _then _he opened his eyes. As he suspected, he was only greeted with the dilute light underneath the thick comforter rather than the sleeping form of Sakura that he had been expecting. Fully awake now, he staved off the desire to fall back asleep and threw the covers off, sitting up while he rubbed an eye sleepily.

His girlfriend was nowhere in sight.

"Sakura?" he called, and his attempt to summon her broke off into a loud yawn. He ran a hand through his mussed-up hair before sliding to the edge of the bed and hopped off, his bare feet meeting carpet. Scratching his bare chest as he smacked his lips, he looked around the room. Sakura's bath robe hung untouched on the bathroom door, indicating that she had not taken a shower in the morning, as was her custom. Her pink slippers were by the bedroom door, also; she always shuffled around the house in them as she headed off to the kitchen to make her coffee.

Sasuke rifled through one of the drawers in the bureau to procure a tee-shirt and pulled it over his head as he walked out of the bedroom in search for his girlfriend. As he passed the kitchen, he noted that their coffee machine, which automatically brewed a pot at the same time every morning, had a pot full of the brown liquid, long since cold. Frowning deeply, his feet carried him to the other end of the house, where a door on the end was slightly ajar. He quietly pushed it open and peered inside.

Sitting at the work desk, Sakura was scribbling away at a piece of paper, three medical textbooks open in front of her with more highlighter than actual black print. Scattered across the floor were countless pages of notes and diagrams and charts, and a half-eaten sandwich teetered on the corner of the desk. Unaware of his presence, Sakura grabbed her can of energy drink and downed the remaining contents before tossing the empty can into the garbage bin, which was overflowing with more empty cans and crumpled pieces of paper. The desk lamp was burning with light, and Sasuke imagined that if he touched it his fingers would come away scalded. "Another sleepless night?" he tutted as he pushed the door open all the way and stepped into the room.

"Shit! Sasuke!" Sakura cried and jumped violently, startled out of her concentration. Frowning deeply, she grabbed the tabletop alarm clock and pulled it close to squint at the numbers portrayed in neon green. "9:30 a.m.? Sweet Lord…" she muttered before flopping back in the rolling chair with a long, exhausted groan. As she tipped her head back, the dark circles under her eyes and the unkempt state of her normally luscious pink hair was glaringly obvious to him. He walked over to her as she was trying to rub the exhaustion out of her face.

"Sakura. This is excessive," he scolded her and motioned to the deplorable state of her work space. Sakura was a tidy person, but you couldn't tell by the mess that was presented. It looked like a tornado had come through the room, with the amount of strewn papers and pencils and trash. She pursed her lips at him, growing defensive.

"It's not excessive. This test determines whether I become a doctor, you know," she huffed at him and sat up, but nonetheless began gathering the papers into orderly piles and straightening out the contents of her desk. Sasuke slammed a hand down on her textbook as she went to pull it close and begin reading the chapter.

"Sakura," he pressed, the bite in his voice obvious. "You haven't slept in _three days." _Sakura puffed out her cheeks defiantly and looked away, tugging the book out of his grip to pull it to the end of the desk.

"I _have _slept. I had a nice ten-minute cat nap last night," she refuted matter-of-factly, as if such a minute period of time justified her crazed studying binge. Still, despite her resistance, Sasuke noticed the slump in her shoulders and the tinge of sadness in her expression. His frown deepening, he grabbed the arms of the rolling chair to forcibly drag her away from the desk and spin her around to face him. "Hey!" she protested loudly, but he grabbed her by the face and made her look into his eyes as she made to glance over her shoulder.

"_Sakura._ You're smart. You know that, don't you?" he asked her firmly. She stared up at him with a disinterested expression before rolling her eyes.

"Yes, yes, you tell me that all the time. I _know _I'm smart, but this test will determine my _future, _Sasuke! I have to pass, otherwise-" she started to complain, but he clamped a hand over her mouth, cutting off her chain of excuses.

"There. You recognize that you're smart. Now think about it. What happens if you walk into that test, sleep-deprived and delirious? How do you think you'll do then? You are trying to get into _medical school, _for crying out loud. You should know that this isn't good for you," he sighed in exasperation. He lowered his hand, expecting her to give him a quick rebuke, but she just looked down at her lip, her expression turning into a dismal pout.

"You have a point," she mumbled, playing with the frayed end of her blouse. _Wow. That was easier than I thought. She must be too exhausted to even argue with me, _he thought with a small sniff and smirked slightly. He couldn't complain. He was getting somewhere.

"Sakura, damn it, don't do this to yourself. Do you know how hard it is for me to watch?" he pleaded further, crouching down so that he was eye level with her. Her green eyes rose to meet his hesitantly. "You'll pass. I _know _you will. So for God's sake will you just come to bed?" he chuckled softly and raised a hand to sweep a tangled strand of bubblegum pink hair out of her face. Sakura chewed on her lip, sulking, and looked back at the piles of notes and textbooks. Sasuke feared for a moment that he had not gotten through to the girl after all until she turned back to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Okay," she consented quietly, and Sasuke breathed a small sigh of relief. _This girl is almost too much to handle, _he thought wryly as he wrapped her legs around his middle and picked her up. Sakura yawned loudly as she rested her head on his shoulder, snuggling into him. "You're warm," she mumbled sleepily as he turned to carry her out of the office.

"Yeah. Maybe you would notice if you slept in bed instead of at your desk," Sasuke snorted in amusement as he glanced down at her with a smirk. She didn't reply, just buried her face deep into his neck with a small, sleepy sigh. _Has she gotten lighter? _Considering she had barely eaten or slept for almost half a week, it definitely was plausible. _She's going to be the death of me. I have to look after her like a child, _he sniffed in disdain, but the look her gave her was full of nothing but love. He carried her into the bedroom and held her in one arm as he pulled the comforter and sheets back, and then he gently laid her down on her back on the bed. When he straightened up, he smirked when he realized that she was already asleep, breathing deeply and softly. "You're such a wreck, Sakura," he chuckled gently as he pulled the blankets up to her chin and brushed a few pieces of hair out of her face. He then smiled warmly and poked her in the forehead, his personal sign of affections. "Sleep tight, Sakura," he murmured, pulling his hand back. As he turned to leave the bedroom, he glanced down when he felt her hand catch his by the wrist, and he looked at her to find she had cracked one eye open.

"I thought you wanted me to come to bed?" she mumbled, and her speech was so slurred with sleep that he wasn't sure she was even fully conscious. "Stay," she begged him before her eyes drifted closed and her hand released its grip and flopped against the mattress. Sasuke stared at her for a minute, then sighed with a smile. He wasn't going to refuse an excuse to climb back into bed, after all. He walked around to the other side of the bed to crawl underneath the covers with her, and in response to his body movement she rolled onto her side and curled up against him. Sasuke smirked as he wound his arms around her and pulled her close, enjoying the feeling over her head resting against his chest.

"You really are a wreck, you know. But I love you all the same," he whispered into her hair, dropping a kiss on the top of her head before closing his eyes and settling into bed beside her. Soon, he fell into slumber, his deep breathing falling into rhythm with hers.


	9. Colors

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Shikamaru Nara and Temari

This prompt was taken from the prompt blog on Tumblr, hellsdemonictrinity! Please go check them out!

Shikamaru waited impatiently outside the train station, his hands shoved deep into his hoodie pockets as he shuffled from foot to foot, trying to move as much as possible to keep warm. It was a Saturday night deep in the autumn season, and therefore notably cold. He shuddered as a cold wind swept across the sidewalk, chilling the twenty-something to his bones. _Man. What a drag. I really should invest in a car, _he thought bitterly as he pulled his hood tightly around his face to stave off the relentless wind. He glanced over his shoulder at the entrance of the train station, searching for that familiar blonde hair tied in four sections.

Shikamaru was waiting on his girlfriend, Temari.

The two had been dating casually for quite a few weeks now. He had been introduced to the young woman by a friend of a friend who happened to be her younger brother at a party, and somehow the pair had hit it off. Shikamaru wasn't really interested in girls- dating was a hassle he had never been crazy about committing to- but he had to admit that he enjoyed spending time with the feisty girl. She was determined and restless, a polar opposite of the laid-back and arguably lazy individual that he was. _I guess there is some merit to the phrase "opposites attract," _he thought wryly as he pondered the strange notion. He perked up as a fresh wave of people came streaming out of the train station, and he could not help but smile as he caught sight of the girl he was looking for.

"Hey! Temari!" he called to the girl as she paused at the top of the steps to search for him, and as he waved his arm and shouted at her, she turned to glance down at him. He couldn't help but be transfixed when she turned her clear blue eyes on him. Temari was a beautiful girl, but he loved her eyes the best; beautiful blue with long lashes that swam with intelligence. As she hopped down the steps toward him, he became aware that he was staring open-mouthed, and hurriedly shut his mouth before the willful girl could make fun of him.

"Hey!" she greeted him breathlessly, her breath fogging up as she stopped in front of him. "Have you been waiting long?" Shikamaru had been waiting a little while, but that was on account of his insistence to be early due to some subconscious excitement, and he wasn't going to admit _that. _As such, he shook his head with a slight blush. _Hopefully she'll just think it's the cold, _he thought with an inward groan. "Shall we, then?" Temari asked him, and Shikamaru nodded and they walked together down the rest of the steps and set off down the sidewalk. The sun was in the middle of setting, casting the world in a golden glow as the fiery ball blazed in the colored sky. Shikamaru glanced out of the corner of his eyes, appreciated the way Temari's golden hair shone in the brilliance of the sunset; when her eyes flickered to meet his, he blushed and hastily pulled his gaze away. He mumbled under his breath as he heard her giggling, knowing he had been caught. _What a drag. She makes me look so uncool. _"So? Are you going to keep me in suspense or are you going to tell me what we're doing?" Temari asked him abruptly.

"Come on, don't you like surprises?" he smirked at her, turning to glance down at her with dark eyes sparkling in amusement. Shikamaru had taken Temari ouf a few times, the usual things- movies, simple dinners, things like that. This time, however, he was pulling out the stops. Since she lived in the next town over, she probably had no idea that during that night in particular, the city in which Shikamaru lived was hosting a fair, complete with a fireworks show. Shikamaru had jumped on the opportunity, and he just hoped that the girl didn't make fun of him for being cheesy.

Come to think of it, Shikamaru was always concerned that Temari was going to make fun of him.

"You're just going to have to wait until we get there," he insisted as she pouted up at him, and she turned her face away with a sniff. _Sorry, _he thought teasingly, and they continued onward.

After the sun sunk below the horizon, leaving only an inky black sky dotted with sparkling stars, the temperature dropped even further. As Temari brushed against him, he looked down at her in slight shock when he realized she was shivering considerably, so much that her teeth chattered every once and a while. Though she was wearing long sleeves, the fabric was considerably thin. _Guess I should do the "gentlemanly" thing, _he thought with a small sigh as he stopped on the sidewalk and began wriggling out of his hoodie.

"What are you doing?" Temari blinked as she stopped and turned to face him, and then cried out as he unceremoniously tossed the hoodie into her face. She caught it and looked at him with slight confusion.

"Well? Put it on," he told her with a slight sniff.

"What about you?" she asked, hesitating.

"I'll be all right," he told her, but immediately cursed his endeavor to be chivalrous. _Damn, it's cold, _he thought as he suppressed the urge to shudder. Temari blinked at him before obediently slipping into the hoodie, and Shikamaru couldn't help but feel glad when her head popped through the top with a smile of her face. The hoodie was much too big for her, as it was very baggy and the sleeves hung over her hands. _She looks cute, _he thought, but he kept the comment to himself. He felt like if he told her she was cute it wouldn't be appreciated. He watched her with a strange, fuzzy feeling as she snuggled into his hoodie. "Better?"

"Better," she confirmed with a small smile. Shikamaru decided he would brave the cold to see that smile on her face. Then, he did something brazen- he reached down and grabbed her hand to begin leading her back down the sidewalk. His heart was pounding, and he cursed his own lunacy, but thankfully Temari did not object. Maybe it was his imagination, but he felt like her fingers curled slightly around his.

As they approached the fairgrounds, carnival music danced on the air, and even from a distance they could see the various amusement park rides and buildings lit up with strings of bright, colorful, flickering lights. The smells of various foods mingled into one delectable fragrance that made Shikamaru's mouth water. "This is where we're going? A fair?" Temari asked, and he was relieved that her tone was not disappointed, but genuinely curious. He nodded in affirmation, and her face lit up in mild excitement. _So far, so good, _he thought as he steered her into the ticket booth. Once they purchased their tickets, they wandered into the fairgrounds.

A sizable crowd had already gathered, and the air buzzed with the hum of conversation and the occasional screams echoing down from the towering roller coasters scattered throughout the park. As the crowd thickened around them, Temari and Shikamaru were forced to press close together; as her side brushed against his, he felt his heartbeat quicken and it felt like a jolt of electricity rocketed through him.

"Um… What do you want to do first?" he asked awkwardly as she looked up at him, trying to hide his embarrassment. Temari glanced around the fairgrounds, searching for a source of amusement, and then pointed at one of the attractions. Shikamaru raised his eyebrows. She had indicated a popular attraction, a thrill ride that was constructed like a slingshot. "You sure?"

"Yeah. Are you _scared_?" Temari teased him, sticking out her tongue at him playfully. His face flushed slightly at the accusation.

"Of course not!" he huffed and tightened his grip on her hand to pull her in the direction of the thrill ride. The line was quite long, but not terribly so, and within fifteen minutes they were being strapped into the roller coaster, flat on their backs staring up at the black sky above them. _I can't believe she roped me into this, _he thought with a small groan as he stared up into the sky. He turned slightly to see that Temari's blue eyes had gone wide, but he was not sure if it was from exhilaration or fear.

Abruptly, Shikamaru's body jerked violently as the ride lurched into action, and the wind roared in his ears as they shot forward into the sky. Despite his effort to keep his composure, he let out a scream, but he felt better about it because Temari started screeching as well. As they started falling, Shikamaru began to feel the adrenaline rushing through him, and he began laughing. He looked over at Temari, whose eyes were squeezed shut as she squealed half in delight and half in terror. He gasped as her hand suddenly shot out to clutch his tightly, and he was dumbfounded at the notion that she would seek him out for comfort. The moment was pretty much ruined for him, though, when her head suddenly jerked and he got a mouthful of one of her ponytails. Even as they were walking off the ride, he was still spitting out several of the blonde locks.

"That was so much fun!" she laughed as she swept her bangs out of her face, her face flushed with adrenaline.

"Yeah. Good choice," Shikamaru chuckled. _She's still holding my hand, _he thought giddily.

They went about the fair for several hours, partaking in the various rides and stuffing their faces with the selection of foods the carnival had to offer. Soon, there was nothing else left to do except for the cheesiest thing to do on a date to a fair.

"The Ferris wheel?" Temari laughed as he guided her up to the famous- or infamous- ride.

"Got a problem with that?" he smirked down at her, and she laughed again before shaking her head. They climbed into the carriage and the attendant snapped the door shut, and up they went. Shikamaru leaned his face in his cheek as he gazed out of the window, watching as the fairgrounds gradually grew smaller as they climbed higher and higher into the night sky. Temari was sitting across from him on the small bench that served as a seat, and he was acutely aware of her gaze drifting towards him every once in a while. They both gasped as the Ferris wheel jerked to a stop, nearly at the highest point of the slow ride. _Tonight just gets cheerier and cheerier, _he thought. His eyebrows raised as the sky abruptly exploded with light.

"Fireworks!" Temari exclaimed. Shikamaru had quite lost track of the time, and as he glanced down at his phone, he realized that it was indeed the scheduled time of the fireworks show. He blushed as Temari beamed at him. "You planned this? Sly," she complimented him with a smirk, and he blushed brightly. _Somebody is looking out for me, _he thought with a slight smirk. He had accidentally impressed the girl by some dumb luck. Temari returned her gaze to the brilliantly illuminated night sky, but Shikamaru could not take his eyes off her.

Her blue eyes danced with a thousand different colors, blazing rainbows that left him spellbound. Her hair shone, too, the golden strands turned white by the glaring lights of the fairgrounds and occasionally flashing with the colors of the fireworks overhead. His eyes fell to her mouth, partly open as she watched in wonder, and he couldn't help but noticed how full her lips looked. His body moved on its own as he slowly rose to his feet and crossed the short distance of the Ferris wheel carriage. "Hey, what are you doing?" Temari asked him as she felt the small hanging basket moving, but he didn't answer; instead, as she looked up at him were her eyebrows slightly knitted, he cupped her face in his hands, leaning down to kiss her. She straightened up slightly in shock, but did not pull away. Rather, she melted under the kiss, reaching up with one of her hands to gently hold his wrist as her eyes drifted closed. As the fireworks exploded outside, casting the young couple in a menagerie of lights, Shikamaru couldn't hear them over the sound of his heart singing.

He pulled back after a minute, breathless, and even through the glaring light and dancing colors he could see the bright red tint of Temari's cheeks. "That was a bold move," she said quietly. He couldn't help smirking. He was _quite _pleased with himself. As some sort of instant karma, the Ferris wheel abruptly lurched into motion, causing him to lose his balance and land on his behind on the floor of the carriage. Temari laughed at him, and he just sighed heavily. _Man. It seems like I just can't look cool in front of her, _he thought with a small chuckle. He blushed as Temari abruptly leaned down over him and pressed her lips to his. It was shorter than the first kiss, but it still left him with a warm, fuzzy feeling.

"_That _was a bold move," he teased, and she smiled playfully at him in response. When the carriage finally came to a stop, he pulled himself to his feet and looked at Temari with a smirk. "Shall we?" he asked and offered his arm. She smiled slyly and stood up, sliding her slim arms around his. Trying to seem like he was not perturbed as he walked her back out into the carnival, but the entire time his heart was pounding.

Shortly after the fireworks show ended, the fairgrounds closed for the night, and so Shikamaru escorted Temari back to the train station. Hands in his jeans pockets, he waited with her until her train arrived. When the large metal vehicle shot into the station and screeched to a halt, Temari slid his arms out of his, and he felt a little sad as her warmth faded from his body. As the rest of the patrons piled onto the train, she turned to look at him with a smile.

"I had a nice time tonight," she remarked to him, swaying slightly back and forth as she smiled shyly at him.

"I'm glad," he told her, genuinely happy. She walked forward, standing on her tip-toes to softly kiss him again, and he closed his eyes as her lips lingered against his own, running his hands up her arms. As he pulled back, he tightened his grip on her, attempting to make her stay, but she turned her face away with an amused laugh.

"I have to _go, _Shikamaru," she chuckled. As she gazed into her blue, blue eyes, he could almost see the colors of the fireworks dancing in their depths. _She has such beautiful eyes, _he thought wistfully as he obediently released her. She hurried to the train as the warning that the doors were closing announced over the loudspeakers.

"Hey!" he shouted after her. "Next time, I want my hoodie back!" he called smugly as she turned to glance back at him, and her mouth curled into a small smile.

"Too bad! It's mine!" she called as she stuck her tongue out at him, right as the train doors closed and the large vehicle jerked into action. Shikamaru watched in bemusement as she disappeared from sight, and then he turned on his heel to walk out into the cold night. He rubbed his arms with a sigh, looking up at the now quite, bland black sky.

"Jeez… Guess I need a new hoodie," he chuckled to himself as he shoved his hands deep in his pockets and set off for home, the girl with the beautiful eyes and golden hair dominating his mind…


	10. Home

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki

Minato trudged down the worn dirt road, his sandals dragging in the mud as he sloshed through the rainy roadways. Around him, the rain whirled in thick sheets, drenching the exhausted ninja and chilling him to his very bones. The sky above him was stormy and grey, filled with thunderclouds that burst with occasional strikes of lightning, jagged white lines that snaked through the heavens and illuminated the weary ninja slowly walking through the village of Konoha. It was the early hours of the morning, and he was alone as he made his way home, his only companion his shadow bobbing along in the mute lighting of the crackling electricity above. With a small sigh, he flicked his bangs out of his face, pausing to turn his face up to the roiling heavens above.

_How long has it been? _He thought as his blue eyes gazed at the grayness above. _Six months? Seven? _He wasn't sure. He had been gone a long time, that was for sure. That was the life of a Jonin- to be sent away at the drop of a hat, away on missions for months on end. Minato had spent many nights in the pouring rain, but as he stood there in the streets he knew so well, he felt like years of weariness and toil were being washed away, carried away by the thick streams of water washing across the earth. _It doesn't matter. I'm home, _he thought with a small smile, closing his eyes and enjoying the feeling of the rain streaming down his face in soft, cold rivulets. _I'm __**home. **_

With a grunt, he adjusted his rain-sodden pack on his shoulder and continued stomping through the mud, his head down as he continued down the road. He didn't even have to think about it as he marched on; his feet carried them on their own, straight on, then a left, and a right, and another right, to the house in the heart of the village that he knew so well. He climbed the steps, his dirty shoes tracking mud over the metal stairway as he came to the second story. As he stopped in front of the door, panting slightly from the long, lonely walk through the wind and rain, he reached for the doorknob. As his hand met the cold, cold metal, he hesitated.

_Seven. It's definitely been seven months, _he concluded. How much had changed since then? The village hadn't changed much, it seemed. The same trees, their leaves shaking in the storm winds and flashing their greenness with every burst of lightning. The same streets, made of the orange-brown dirt that swelled with water with every storm. The same shops, the pub on the main road where he drank sake with Jiraiya, the old ramen shop with the friendly old man that treated Minato too well, Yamanaka Flowers, where Inoichi's wife sold beautiful flowers, the bookstore on the corner that Kushina loved to frequent.

_Kushina._

Was she beyond the door? Kushina was a ninja, too, but the life was hard on women. It was hard for them to be separated from their beloved for so long. Part of Minato feared that if had become too much for her, and in his long absence, she had moved on.

_No. Not my Kushina, _he thought with a frown and turned the doorknob, pushing the door open quietly. It creaked slightly in protest as he stepped inside, making a puddle on the doormat as the rainwater streamed dripped profusely from his soaking wet clothes, skin, and hair. He blinked in the gloom, attempting to decipher what his eyes were seeing. He shut the door behind him as he glanced around. The house looked the same, at least. Grunting as he stretched his sore muscles, he leaned down to pull his muddy boots off his feet, leaving them beside the door. He froze, fingers twitching. _Those are Kushina's shoes, _he thought with a tiny smile. He had been afraid for nothing.

Quietly so as not to wake his likely sleeping wife, he padded softly through the house, leaving wet footprints in his wake as he crossed to the back of the house. He found the door to the bedroom slightly ajar, and it made not a sound as he gently pushed it open to peer inside. His heart stopped.

_Kushina. My Kushina, _he thought as every breath left his body. She was lying on her back in the bed, her face turned toward him. Even in the dark, he could see the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed softly. Moonlight streamed in through the window, making her that red hair that blazed like fire shine with heavenly light. Without thinking, Minato crossed the room, leaving a trail of water across the wooden floor as he took a strand of that gorgeous hair and held it to his lips, kissing it softly. The scent wafted up into his nose. _She smells like sunshine, _he thought. Minato was pretty sure that sunshine didn't have a scent, but that is what he always thought.

He frowned when those soft strands fell limp in his fingers, drenched with water. It was then that he realized how utterly soaked he was, and he dropped Kushina's hair to pull back. He was cold, too, shivering slightly. Or was it simply that he was so overcome with emotion to see her? He wasn't quite sure. Still, he knew he would catch cold in this state, so he snuck out of the room to slip down the hall into the bathroom. He didn't bother turning on the lights, as the sparse moonlight was enough. He set his sodden pack down on the sink and sighed deeply, pulling off his vest and shirt and glancing up at himself in the mirror.

Reflected in the glass, Minato was shining silver, too, his blonde hair stark white in the shining light. He could see the various scars across his body so clearly in the soft moonlight. Several of them were new, earned on his latest venture. Some of them weren't even scars at all, but wounds that were still healing, red gashes against his pale white skin. That was the life he chose, and these were his badges of honor.

With a heavy sigh, Minato grabbed a towel off the towel rack and stuffed his face in it. _It's been so long since I've smelled clean linen, _he thought dryly as he paused to breathe in the scent of fresh laundry detergent. He lifted his face, looking back up in the mirror, and was shocked to see a bloom of red in the silver and white canvas reflection.

"Minato?" Kushina asked quietly. Her green eyes were silver pools as they gazed wide at him, staring at him through the reflection of the smooth glass. His mouth softened into a smile as soon as his eyes landed on her. _Kushina… _He tore his gazed away from the mirror, turning around to look at her. She was even more beautiful in person. She seemed to glow in the moonlight, her frame outline by pure light; standing there, she looked nothing short of a radiant goddess, come down from heaven to bless the undeserving man. All he could do was stare, muted by the emotion rising inside of him. Kushina closed the distance between them, her small hands reaching up to pull the towel from him and begin dabbing at his water-covered chest and arms. "You reckless man, walking through a storm like that. You'll catch cold, you know," she tutted, shaking her head.

"Hmm. Can't help it decided to rain," he smirked down at her. It felt nice, the fluffy cotton gently running over his cold skin as she softly soaked up the water. She wasn't looking at him, so absorbed in her work, but Minato's eyes were captivated by her. He had thought about her so much while he was away; she had been his anchor, his lifeline, the only thing to get him through the long, cold nights fraught with danger. So many times he had been close to death, but it was she who spurred him on. Knowing that she was here, waiting for him, was the one thing that kept him going. With her lips slightly pursed, she raised her arms to drop the towel into his golden hair, ruffling it slightly as she dries his signature locks. Finally, her eyes met his, and she stopped moving. Blue eyes gazed into green ones, and so many words unspoken passed between. Minato reached up to pull her hands down, bringing her fingers to his mouth to kiss them. How he had missed those slim, perfect fingers.

"You're home," she whispered, and as tears formed in the corners of her eyes, he let one of her hands go to brush them away with his thumb.

"I'm home," he confirmed softly. Like they were pulled together by magnets, their faces drew close, and their eyes drifted shut as their lips met. She tasted even sweeter than he remembered. His hand rose to her cheek, angling his head as he kissed her slowly, lovingly. _Kushina. My sunshine, _he thought happily as his hand traveled to the back of her head, and he tangled his fingers into that fiery red hair that blazed brighter than the sun. She rested her hands against his bare chest, her fingers running over the scars there. When he pulled back, she was smiling happily.

"I missed you," she sighed as she wrapped her arms around him in hug, laying her head against his chest. Minato held her tightly as he propped his chin on the top of her head.

"I missed you too," he murmured as he smiled into her hair. _Sunshine, _he thought again as he breathed in deeply.

_I'm home… _


	11. Christmas Morning

Category: Family Fluff/Romantic Fluff

Characters: Sakura Uchiha, Sarada Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha

Sakura awoke to the shrill screaming of her daughter.

"Mommy! Mommy! It's Christmas!" the little girl shrieked with delight as she threw open the woman's bedroom door and ran over the carpeted flooring to vault her six-year-old body into the queen-sized bed. Squealing loudly, she crawled onto Sakura's stomach and bounced up and down, pushing into her chest as she demanded for her mother to awaken to share in the magic that was Christmas morning. Sakura groaned as she was so unceremoniously ripped from sweet sleep, swatting tiredly at her daughter while she mumbled incomprehensibly. She caught Sarada's short black hair before her hand flopped uselessly down against the comforter. "Mommy! _Wake up!" _she demanded once more.

"I'm up. I'm up," Sakura mumbled as she finally rose into consciousness and sat up, sweeping her unruly pink hair behind her ears and smiling sleepily down at her elated daughter. "Shall we video call your Daddy before we start opening presents?" she offered, and Sarada gasped in delight.

"Yes! Yes! I'll call him! I'll call him!" she cried as she leaned over the edge of the bed to grab Sakura's smartphone while the young woman yawned and attempted to chase the sleep away. As the dial tone rang, Sarada giggled and snuggled into her mother so that both of their faces were captured in the large phone screen. After a few rings, the video suddenly kicked into life to reveal the face of Sakura's husband, Sasuke, who was a secret agent for the government and was currently deployed halfway across the world guarding some important figure or another. It was similar to being in the military, because he was gone half the year and could never talk much about what he was doing, but Sakura loved him no less. He was doing what made him happy, and so she supported him fully. "Hello, Daddy!" Sarada cried joyfully.

"Hey," Sasuke smiled warmly as he was greeted with the faces of his daughter and his loving wife. "You're up bright and early," he mused with a raised eyebrow. To him, it was early evening.

"Sarada is very ready to open her Christmas presents," Sakura mused as she wrapped an arm around her small child and nuzzled her affectionately, giving her a few kisses on the cheek. Sarada squealed and wriggled in her grasp, giggling as she begged her mother to stop showering her with affection.

"Daddy! Will you watch me open my presents?" Sarada asked hopefully, her black eyes sparkling behind small red-rimmed glasses. Sasuke pretended to think about it, but the smile hiding in the shadow of his expression indicated to Sakura that he had intended all week to be there when his little girl got to experience Christmas Day. "Please, Daddy?" she begged, batting her eyes at him.

"Hmm, I suppose so. I have time," he consented, and in her excitement she snatched the phone away and hopped off the bed, promptly taking off out of the room and down the hall with elated laughing.

"Hey! Sarada!" Sakura laughed as her daughter absconded with her phone, throwing the covers off herself and sliding out of bed. She made no hurry to go after her, however, just slid her feet into her slippers and grabbed the bathrobe hanging off the bedroom door and wrapped it around herself. She shuffled down the hall as she followed Sarada's happy chatter, and the woman caught wisps of conversation drifting down the hall from the living room. While she waited for her mother, the little girl was describing the experience of decorating the Christmas tree to her absent father. They had shown him the day they had put it up, but the little girl had seemed to forget about it in all the commotion.

After getting a cup of coffee, Sakura strode into the living room to see her daughter sitting at the base of the tree positively bursting with excitement. "Okay! Are we ready?" the housewife smiled as she settled herself into an armchair, crossing her legs and holding her cup of coffee close, waking up as she breathed in the fumes of the hearty drink.

"Okay! Daddy, watch!" Sarada grinned as she propped up the phone so that he could see both of them and still had a prime view of his daughter opening presents. Sarada naturally dragged over the largest one first and began tearing eagerly into the wrapping paper. "Whoa! A dollhouse!" she cried as the toy contained inside was revealed, and she hopped up and down excitedly as she ran around the massive constriction to fully appreciate the large house. "It has a mommy, and a daddy, and a daughter, just like us! Plus a dog! Mommy, can we get a dog?"

"Maybe for your birthday," Sakura laughed and waved a hand dismissively. "Keep opening them!" she commanded, and the young girl eagerly complied. Sarada pushed the dollhouse to one corner before tearing into more presents. She unearthed a new dress and promptly stripped down to her little pink undies to slip on the dress and do a fashion walk for her chuckling parents, the tag still flopping about as she pranced around. She soon paired it with a new pair of little flats and a bow. She tore into another box to find a storybook, and flipped it open to start reading it until her parents reminded her of the task at hand. She tossed the book aside to resume plundering her presents.

"Daddy, look! Isn't this teddy bear cute?" Sarada asked as she held up her new stuffed animal.

"Very cute," he confirmed with an amused smile. He was leaned back against a bed with one hand behind his back, watching his daughter happily. _I wish he could be here, _Sakura lamented silently. Even though he looked happy, she could tell that he was pained at being unable to be with his daughter on Christmas. As Sarada begged for her attention, she was dragged back to the present to act extremely excited over the pair of funny socks that Santa had brought her. Sarada had made her way through quite a chunk of the gifts now, and wrapping paper and ribbon and bows were strewn across the living room floor. As she paraded around, the paper crumpled beneath her feet. The doting parents watched her unwrap more clothes and toys before she was finally finished and settled down to play with her things. Sakura set the empty coffee cup down on the coffee table and stood up, walking across the room to bend down and retrieve the phone. She swept her hair behind her ear as she straightened up, smiling now that she had a minute alone with her husband.

"Another great year," she murmured as she walked into the adjoining kitchen. "… I wish you could be here, honey," she sighed after a moment. It wasn't often that she allowed the loneliness to show. Usually it was times like these, when they should be together as a family. She knew Sasuke did what he had to, but even though she accepted it, it hurt no less when he was gone.

"I know," he sighed deeply, and the hurt showed on his expression despite his normally guarded emotions. As she gazed at him, she cocked her head to the side slightly as she realized he had seemed to have switched from a bed to a couch, and he was lying on his back so she couldn't really analyze it too much. It was a strange-looking couch, made of some gray material, but before she could inquire she heard raucous knocking at the door. "Lemme guess. Naruto?" Sasuke smirked as he heard the unmistakable sound of his best friend. Even in knocking, the yellow-haired man was boisterous.

"Sakuraaaaaa~" she heard him calling impatiently at the front door.

"The one and only," Sakura laughed as she walked out of the kitchen to greet their mutual friend. It had become a sort of odd tradition for Naruto and Sasuke's families to spend Christmas together. Sarada joined her mother in the entryway, holding her new teddy bear and bouncing up and down on her heels as she prepared to greet the man she regarded as an uncle. Sakura smiled as she opened the door, and her daughter immediately jumped at Naruto's legs.

"Uncle Naruto!" Sarada squealed happily, and the tall man laughed and leaned down to give the girl a bear hug.

"Hey, Sarada! Wow! Look at that teddy bear! It's awesome!" he beamed as she displayed it proudly for him to see. He straightened back up once he was done doting on the little girl, who had moved on to show off her teddy to an only mildly interested Boruto. "Hey, Sakura," he smiled and leaned forward to give her a one-armed hug and a friendly kiss on the cheek.

"Merry Christmas!" Hinata, his pretty wife and another one of their childhood friends, smiled warmly and looked down at their one-year-old baby, Hinawari, before grabbing her hand and waving it in greeting. "Say hello, Himawari," she chuckled.

"Morning, guys. Say hello to Sasuke!" Sakura beamed and held up the phone to the family, who all waved happily- except for Naruto, who whined loudly and grabbed the phone so only he was in the phone screen.

"Sasukeeeee! Come hooooooome! I miss youuuuuu!" he whined miserably before Sakura wrenched the phone back with a pout.

"Are you his wife all of a sudden?" she huffed and looked back at the screen. Sasuke looked half-amused and half-annoyed.

"Really, you should have expected him to act like that. He's always been such a girl," he smirked up at her.

"Can we eat now? I'm hungry!" Boruto whined and tugged on the hem of his mother's dress. As per tradition, Naruto, his wife, and his children always came over to Sakura's house and she cooked breakfast for them. I had started back when it was only the original trio, mostly because Naruto was broke and lonely back in the day, and it had just stuck. "I want waffles!"

"You'll get your waffles," Naruto laughed. "First though, we have to give Sakura and Sarada their present," he added with a sudden mischievous grin, and Sakura's expression turned to confusion while Sarada, the innocent child that she was, was just excited to be getting another gift.

"What? Naruto, we never get each other presents anymore," she blinked and looked down at the video screen to see if her husband had been in on the plan only to find that the call had ended. Perplexed, she looked at Naruto for explanation, but movement in the driveway caught her eye and she peered over Naruto's shoulder. The phone fell from her hand as it rose to her mouth, and she was barely aware of Naruto fumbling to catch it as she watched the back door of his car open and her husband climb out.

"Jeez. I thought I was never gonna get out of there. Do you know how uncomfortable it is laying in the back of one of those things?" he complained nonchalantly as he rubbed his neck, but the smile of happiness was clear on his face.

"Daddy!" Sarada screamed and roughly shoved Boruto aside as she made a mad dash for her father, her teddy bear swinging from her hands as she dashed down the driveway. Sasuke laughed and crouched down to embrace his daughter, pulling her into his arms and swinging her around.

"Ah, there's my girl. You've gotten taller, haven't you?" he grinned as he swept a few black strands of hair from her face.

"Uh-huh! Taller than Boruto!" she confirmed happily.

"Not true!" the aforementioned boy whined from his comfy spot on the concrete. As he held his daughter, Sasuke's dark eyes fell on his wife, who was still standing in shock in the doorway. Once those eyes fell on her, she suddenly stirred into motion, like a robot suddenly brought to life. She tried to stifle a sob as she moved past Naruto and Hinata to approach her husband, but failed miserably and began to cry. She was just _so _happy. He had been gone for months, and now he was _here, _so suddenly, and it was just too much.

"S-Sasuke," she stammered pitifully. _Only this man can make me blubber like a fool, _she thought dryly as he slid his free arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to kiss her forehead.

"Merry Christmas, honey," he murmured against her skin, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

"I can't believe you and Naruto conspired like this. You big meanie," she mumbled as she buried her face into his broad chest, breathing in the scent of him that she had missed, savoring his mere presence.

"Hey, I went to great lengths to pull this off. I'm rather proud of myself. Do you know how much I had to threaten Naruto to keep his big mouth shut?" Sasuke laughed as he held her, and Sakura could not help but release a half-laugh, half-sob of her own.

"Heyyyy!" Naruto whined from the threshold of the door. "I'm not that bad!"

"Yeah you are, Dad," his son refuted, and the older man hung his head in shame at being so bluntly called out by his six-year-old. Hinata chuckled and rested her head on his shoulder, watching the touching scene with a smile.

"I'm so happy," Sakura whispered as she wrapped her arms around her beloved husband, holding him tightly. She knew that sooner or later she would have to let him go again, but until that time, she was going to keep him as close as possible.

"Is it time for waffles now?" Sarada asked suddenly, making them all break into a fit of laughter. Sasuke set her down and she ran back into the house with the Uzumakis in tow, while her parents lingered out in the driveway for a brief moment of privacy. Sakura gazed up at her husband as he swept her hair from her face.

"So? Good gift?" he smirked down at her jokingly.

"Every moment I have with you is a gift," she responded lovingly, then stood up on her tip-toes to lightly kiss him.

_And I treasure every one. _


	12. A Dog's Day

Category: Friendship Fluff

Characters: Akamaru and Kiba Inuzuka

Akamaru flicked his fluffy, white tail lazily as he slowly dragged himself into consciousness, his lupine jaw splitting into a massive yawn as he opened his eyes sleepily. The sunlight was streaming over him, making him feel nice and warm, and his eyelids began to droop once more as the weariness settled back in; however, he knew that his master would likely be awake at this hour, so he forced his massive hound bulk out of his cozy dog bed with another loud yawn. He stepped onto the wooden floor of his human's bedroom, sliding his front body downward to stretch his stiff back muscles, before straightening up to give his entire fluffy mass a vigorous shake. The tag on his collar jingled like a frantic bell as he did so, ringing in his sensitive ears; those wolfish ears perked straight up as he stood, listening for any sound of his beloved master as he padded over to the bed and hopped onto the padded surface from the ground. He was surprised to find that his human was not in bed like he normally was. His master loved to sleep, and normally it was Akamaru's job to awaken him from his hibernation with many a lick and nuzzle. He sniffed the pillow curiously, wagging his tail as he found it saturated with his master's scent.

Surely, his master must be preparing food if he is awake, he reasoned, so he jumped off the bed and sauntered through the open door out into the hallway, tail swishing the whole time. Akamaru was of appreciable size, standing nearly half as tall as his human, who was an average male as humans go; Akamaru had seen many humans, since his master loved to walk him, and he was always impressed with how his master seemed to dwarf all the other masculine humans in strength and vitality. Akamaru was honestly honored to be his master's dog, because what greater honor was there than belonging to an obvious alpha? He wagged his tail with happiness just thinking about it, not noticing that it smacked into the walls repeatedly as he did so. He walked purposefully towards the front of the house, where the room where his master prepared food was situated, and sauntered in expecting to find his beloved master standing at the strange contraption that radiated impressive heat- a _stove, _his master called it- and cooking food. However, Akamaru was disappointed to find that this was _not _the case, and his owner was not there to greet him with a smile. Ears and tail drooping, he slunk over to his food and water bowl to find them already filled.

That was certainly strange, as his owner usually waited until Akamaru was awake to do so; he would scratch Akamaru behind the ears and tell him what a good boy he was as he poured the brown, crunchy pellets into the bowl. It was almost a ritual, and the dog looked forward to it every morning. As he dipped his head and began to munch on the pellets, it almost seemed like they tasted bland and unappetizing; still, his master had left them for him, so he ate an appreciable amount and lapped up some of the water before lifting his head, licking his chops as he looked around the empty kitchen. Something was definitely off with his master's morning routine, and it was up to the dog to investigate.

The bathroom, of course! His master always cleaned himself in the morning, so naturally, he must be there! Akamaru took off in a run, slipping a little across the slick tile floor, before bounding across the house to the small room where the bathroom was. Akamaru had always found the room strange, with all its mysterious human contraptions to control the water, and after several years he still had not figured them out- except for the bowl-like one, where he pressed the trigger switch to make the water swirl around. He enjoyed that one. He found the door cracked, as his master usually left it so Akamaru could get in and make sure his human did not stumble and fall, and he nosed his way inside with a furiously wagging tail expecting to find his master within. However, like with the kitchen, his human was nowhere to be found; the room was dark, and it was not filled with steam and the sound of rushing water as normal. Whining with concern, Akamaru jumped at the side wall to sniff at the towel hanging from a rack; it was damp, and coated with his master's scent, indicating that he had indeed been there. Perplexed with the peculiar change in routine, Akamaru wandered out of the room, wracking his mind as he tried to determine the cause.

Why would his master deviate from normal protocol? The dog couldn't figure it out. He decided to check the entirety of the house for his owner. Akamaru wandered back into the bedroom, where he wriggled his way under the bed only to find bundles of dust that made him sneeze. He pawed open the door to the closet only to be greeted with his master's wardrobe. He wandered over to the room where his master cleaned his clothes, and again, found no one; he even walked to the back door and poked his head out of the doggy door, but the grassy yard was only occupied by squirrels and birds. He barked at them to scatter them before dejectedly pulling his head back through the door. His master was clearly not in the house, and so the only logical conclusion was that he had left. That was alarming to Akamaru, because his master never, _ever_ left without walking him first. Tail dragging across the floor as he sadly walked to the front door, he sniffed around and sure enough, his master had come through. As the puzzle slowly clicked together in his mind, he could only come to one conclusion: his master had left him. Miserable, he grabbed one of his master's shoes gently in his mouth and carried it over to the couch, where he curled up with the shoes tucked in his paws and stared at the door pathetically.

Why would his master leave him? Had he been abandoned? Surely not. His master loved him, after all, and depended on Akamaru to protect him and the household from dangers like robbers and mailmen. Why, though, would he leave unannounced? Could Akamaru have slept through his master being abducted? He hadn't smelled anyone else in the house, though. Could humans be clever enough to cover their scents? Was it possible that Akamaru was going to be replaced? Had he been a bad dog? Perhaps he was not doing a proper job of keeping away the squirrels, birds, and neighborhood cats. Oh no, what if his master wanted a cat instead of a dog? As the imaginary situations grew direr by the second, the large dog whimpered and curled up tightly around the shoe, the only lingering connection to his missing master. He could only hope that his owner returned soon.

At some point, Akamaru fell asleep, likely from the exhaustion of stressing. He jolted awake, however, as soon as he heard the key click in the lock of the front door, and with a single bound he leaped off the couch to land at the threshold. Surely that must be his master returning home! He wagged his tail as he whined loudly, trying to convey his worry, as he waited impatiently for the door to open. As soon as it did, Akamaru jumped up onto his hind legs, pawing at his master's chest and shoulders as he licked his face happily. It _was _him! He had come home, safe and sound. His master laughed at him, and it was such a happy sound; so, then, his master wasn't mad at him after all. Akamaru's tail whipped back and forth with joy as the human petted him roughly but affectionately, scratching behind his ears and on his neck and back, and Akamaru dropped down to roll onto his belly, begging to be petted there, too. The man willingly obliged, and Akamaru wriggled around happily as he repeated what a good boy he was and how glad he was to be home.

Akamaru didn't bother trying to figure out why he had left, and what he had done; his master was home, safe and sound, and clearly loved him. That was enough. He jumped up as his master suddenly grabbed the leash hanging on a nearby hook, and he barked elatedly at the promise of a walk. He was nearly bursting with excitement as his master hooked the leash to his collar, and as soon as it was secure her jumped through the door to take off running down the sidewalk, dragging the man with him.

It was a wonderful day for a walk, after all!


	13. Marry Me

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Shikamaru Nara and Female OC

Requested By: littleclip (FanFiction)

This is a promotion piece for my full-length story, _First Comes Hurt, Then Comes Love! _If you enjoy this story, please check it out!

Shikamaru didn't glance up as Ayumi slid her arms around his neck from behind, propping her chin on his shoulder and her lovely chestnut hair tickling his skin as she peered down at the packet of papers in front of him. She said nothing, only watched him with interest as he placed the finishing touches on a rather irritating mission report, and then turned her face to look at him as he dropped the pen down on the desk and sighed deeply. He leaned back in his chair, tipping his head back as he attempted to chase away the headache pounding in the front of his skull. Ayumi continued to hold him in the slight hug, one of her hands curling into the hair on the back of his neck and teasing it likely. He wasn't sure why she liked to do that, but he wasn't really complaining, because it sure felt nice. After a moment of attempting to gather his thoughts from his deep-fried brain, he cracked an eye open to look at her through his peripheral vision.

She had dolled up quite a bit. Her beautiful chestnut hair was not wavy and falling down her back as usual, but had been pinned up in an elaborate up-do, held in place by a pair of pins decorated with plastic flowers- daffodils, of course. She had put on make-up, too, a modest amount; she knew how much Shikamaru preferred natural beauty, so she had opted for just foundation and blush, eye shadow and mascara, and some lip gloss. She was wearing a yellow dress- not her usual sundress, but a genuine party dress, complete with a pair of small heels. Though they had been dating for quite a few years now, Ayumi's beauty never ceased to astound him; for a moment, he just gazed at her, completely absorbing everything about her.

"Honey, if you don't get dressed soon, we'll miss our reservation," she reminded him politely.

"Right, right," he groaned and ran a hand over his face. "It's date night." Not that he had entirely forgotten, but he had gotten so caught up in his mission report that he had completely lost track of time. She giggled slightly and leaned in to gently kiss him on the cheek, then straightened up and walked out of his office. Shikamaru couldn't help but watch her as she left, concentrating on her swinging hips. _She's so damn sexy, _he thought before stiffly rising from his chair to trudge across the hall into the bedroom.

Pulling off his shirt as he walked, he navigated through the stacks of tomes and atlases that have overtaken the room. He knew the path through the books by muscle memory now, and didn't even need to see as he waved through them on his way to his closet. As he pulled off the shirt, he tossed it across the room into the laundry bin; before he could get to work on his pants, he saw his reflection in the mirror, and naturally stopped. His hand rose to the large, pink scar in his lower abdomen, and as he did, he flinched as the ghost of his wound burned terribly. It had been two years since the attack on the Leaf Village, but he still could not help but stop and stare. Ayumi's reflection appeared in the mirror beside him, and her small hand slid over his own, hovering over the scar. Ayumi had her own to bear, small scratches along her arms and other hidden behind her clothing. Both of them still suffered in the wake of that terrible saga.

_That's over now, _he reminded himself firmly before pulling himself away from the mirror, striding over to the closet to begin rooting through his clothes. Shikamaru didn't have many; most of the closet was currently occupied by Ayumi's myriad of dresses and the rare pair of pants and matching shirts, but he didn't mind. She kept it neat and organized, so he never had any trouble finding anything. He frowned as he searched for something halfway-decent; they were going somewhere relatively nice, so he didn't want to show up in his mission gear, especially because Ayumi had spent so much time prettying herself up. The problem was that Shikamaru wasn't exactly _fashion savvy. _After a minute of rifling through his small assortment of garments, he decided on a nice shirt and a pair of slacks, and quickly pulled them on and walked over to her, turning about so she could see. "Well? How do I look?"

"Handsome," she purred, and when he turned back to face her she walked up to him and stood on her tip-toes, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt to pull him down into a kiss. Sometimes she was still shy, but for the most part she had grown much more comfortable in showing her affection for him. Smirking at her brazenness, he kissed her softly, running his hands slowly down her arms. Their intimate moment was rudely interrupted as a knock on the door echoed through the house, followed by the excited pitter-patter of little feet on the wooden floor.

"Auntie Ino is here!" Shikadai squealed as he darted down the hall, and Shikamaru was slightly sad as his girlfriend pulled away and walked out of the room to greet the woman. It was perfect timing, though, because it gave Shikamaru time to dart over to the bed and pull up the mattress to grab the ring box he had hidden there and slide it into his pants pocket. He heard the women's voices drifting down the hall from the living room, and the giddy laughter of his son and Inojin as they devised what they were going to do for the night, and he paused a moment to once again look at himself in the mirror.

"You got this, Shikamaru," he mumbled as he uncomfortably pulled at the collar of his shirt. Had it gotten hot in the house? No, he was just nervous as hell. He had already done this once before, with Temari, but somehow he felt like a complete novice in over his head. _You've been planning this for weeks. Don't psych yourself out, or you'll make it a drag, _he told himself silently, making sure that the pocket sufficiently hid the outline of the box before strolling out to join the women and children, trying to seem nonchalant. "Ready to go?" he asked Ayumi as he stopped beside her, sliding his arm around her waist. She was so beautiful that he couldn't help but touch her constantly; plus, he was trying to chase away his anxiety by focusing on her. It was working, a little.

"Yes! I was just talking to Ino about the daffodils I planted here. They should be blooming any day now!" she beamed up at him. When she had moved in with him, they had transferred her entire garden to his house; her prized daffodils grew along the fence, and next to it was Shikadai's weed patch. Every year she added a little more, and so now his once bland front yard was a colorful menagerie of flowers and shrubs, her haven of growth and joy.

"Have fun, you two," Ino smiled knowingly, sitting on the couch as the two children were sitting on the rug playing a board game. Shikadai hopped up and ran over to hug his father, wrapping his arms around his legs as he always did. He had grown taller in the last two years, tall enough to bury his face in his father's middle. He smiled down at his son and affectionately stroked his hair.

"Bye, Dad!" he chirped before pulling back to hug Ayumi happily. "Bye, Mom!" With that, he whipped around to plop down beside his friend once more. He could see out of the corners of his eyes that Ayumi's expression swelled with pure joy as she gazed down at the little boy. He had been calling her that for a while now, but she still got emotional about it. Sometimes, after they tucked him in at night, she would break down in happy tears because she was so honored. Shikamaru couldn't blame her; in fact, he was grateful that she took something so trivial so seriously. It showed how much she really loved his son. _Their _son, really.

After exchanging a few more necessary pleasantries, the couple left the house and strolled down the diet roads of the village. Though it had been two years, the reconstruction effort was still well under way; though it was after hours and no workers were present, for every couple of normal buildings there were those surrounded by scaffolding, in the middle of construction. As they grew closer to the heart of the village, the amount of buildings dwindled compared to the projects in progress, and pretty much every building had signs of repairs- one patch of paint brighter than the rest, a wooden wall that was a different type of construction material, and things of that nature. Every so often they came across a condemned building, smoldered shells that the residents or owners had decided were too damaged to bother with. He could feel his old wound twitching as his gaze swept across the legacy of the monumental war, and see the face of his enemy dancing in the shadows, sneering and smug even though it was dripping with blood.

_I killed him, but he still won, in a way. We've never been the same since, _he thought as he looked down at Ayumi, who was walking cheerfully alongside him. He could see from the way her jaw was set and her stiff posture that she was thinking of similar things despite her seemingly happy attitude. They all had nightmares, Ayumi especially. It was at least a few times a month that she awoke screaming and sobbing and screaming his or Shikadai's names, and it always took a while for him to bring her back to reality. At least once a week Shikadai would knock on their door in the middle of the night begging to climb into bed with them. Shikamaru never said anything when he awoke stiff and pale in the night, having dreamed of her death or Temari's, but she always seemed to sense it, and would pull herself out of sleep to whisper soothingly in his ear as she caressed the back of his neck, curling her fingers into her hair like she loved to do. As the gloom began to settle over him, he shoved it away.

_None of that matters now. We made it through, and we're happy, _he reminded himself as he looked back down at her. He had to live in the moment now. Smiling softly as he was reminded of how lucky he was, he slipped a hand in hers and laced their fingers together, and she glanced up at him with an equally loving expression. He could feel the ring box in his pocket, its squared shape bumping against his leg with every step. _I want to marry her. I want to spend the rest of my life with her, _he thought for the thousandth time. That thought was enough for him to forget about everything else.

Shikamaru brought her to the fanciest restaurant in the village, where he had made reservations for the special night. Ayumi was of course unaware of his true plans, and he had played it off as a celebration for her attaining Jonin status. Though she wouldn't be assigned a team since she was still employed as a teacher, she had pursued her ninja training since the incident, intent on growing stronger and stronger so she could better protect her students. She had worked hard, very hard, and she deserved to be treated for that. Besides, it was a great cover story for him.

Shikamaru was pretty relaxed at the beginning, but as the night deepened, the anxiety began to creep into his mind. He tapped his foot incessantly, his hands clenched together in front of his face as he stared hard at some point over Ayumi's shoulder. _What a drag. Why am I all nervous? It's not like I've never proposed to a girl before, and I don't think she'll say no. _Perhaps it was because he was afraid that he would make a fool of himself. He glanced down at his food, which he had only managed to pick at because his stomach had twisted itself into a nervous knot. The ring box felt heavy now, uncomfortable. _Maybe I should have had a plan. Girls like fancy proposals, right? Maybe I should do it another time, do something flashier, _he thought with a slight groan, putting his head in his hands.

"Shikamaru? What's the matter?" _Shit. _

"Nothing. I just have a headache," he answered, straightening up with a small, weary smile. It wasn't even a lie. It had crept back into his skull, pounding away like a little man with a hammer, because he was thinking so hard. She blinked at him in concern.

"Do you want to go home? You've worked hard today. I don't mind turning in early," she offered, but he shook his head.

"Nah. I can manage. You've earned tonight. I can stick it out," he smiled and reached across the table to take her hand, gently rubbing circles into the top of her palm with his thumb. _Don't be such a drag, Shikamaru. Have a spine. _

Having a spine was harder than he thought. He couldn't bring himself to do it, and as they walked out of the restaurant, he was cursing himself for being a complete idiot while Ayumi was cheerfully oblivious.

"That was delicious! Thanks, honey. I enjoyed it!" she smiled at him and turned around to hug him lovingly. He smiled weakly and hugged her back with one arm, the other deep in his pocket and clenched around the ring box. Her chestnut hair tickled his nose, and he inhaled deeply, breathing in that scent of daffodils that she always carried. He loved that smell, and for a moment, he calmed a little bit. He loved falling asleep with her beside him, that scent filling his nose with every breath, and when he walked outside and the breeze carried it over from her little garden… It was the scent of _her_, and it was like a drug to him. Intoxicated on it, he began sliding the ring box out of his pocket, but when she abruptly pulled away it was like he was splashed with cold water and sobered up. With a pang of panic, he shoved his hand back into his pocket and acted nonchalant, while on the inside he was throttling his subconscious for being such a hopeless coward. "It's a nice night. Why don't we go see Temari?" she suggested suddenly, shocking him out of his mental murder. She was staring up at the night sky, where the stars glittered brightly above alongside the full moon.

"Yeah. I think she'd wanna hear about you making Jonin," he agreed after a moment of contemplation, and together they set off down the road to the cemetery. It was empty when they arrived, and in silence they walked through the rows of graves until they arrived at the headstone that bore his deceased wife's name. Ayumi, despite being in heels and a nice dress, knelt down on her knees and began chatting animatedly to the cold stone, while Shikamaru looked up at the sky as a cool breeze blew over them.

_Why is this so hard? _He asked her. _You hate cowards. How did you ever end up with me? _He thought with a wry smile. He could almost see her, looking cross and calling him a dumbass.

_Ask her, you idiot! _She would yell. She was yelling it at him right now, probably. With a small smile of sad amusement, he looked back down at her, and was struck.

The moonlight was spilling over her, casting her beautiful chestnut hair in silver. Her skin glowed white, and to him she looked like a beautiful angel, glowing with pure goodness and light. His heart stopped dead in his chest as he gawked at her, suddenly reminded at how beautiful she was and how lucky he was to have her. She looked up at him, smiling, and in that smile he saw all the love and happiness a woman could ever have.

Suddenly, he was no longer afraid.

"Ayumi," he said suddenly. He had expected his heart to be pounding, but it was a steady, calm drum in his chest as he pulled out the ring box and got down on one knee in front of her. Her brown eyes went wide with shock as they landed on the simple black box, and her mouth fell open in silent questioning. "I'm not great at lengthy speeches, so this is kind of a drag…" he admitted shyly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Most guys would go on and on about this and that, but that just isn't my style." He looked up at her with a small smirk, gazing into her chestnut eyes. "I love you, Ayumi. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and that's all I gotta say." He pulled open the black box to reveal a glittering diamond ring. "Marry me."

Her gaze flickered downward to rest on the ring, and he could see the breath catch in her chest as she placed a hand over her heart, her mouth still partly open in shock. Tears rose to the corners of her eyes and then spilled down her cheeks in glittering streams, sparkling in the moonlight, and they were still swimming with moisture when she looked back up at him.

"Yes. Yes, I'll marry you," she murmured. He went to smile, but all he could do was gasp as she suddenly jumped at him, knocking him over as her mouth smashed against his in a passionate kiss. As he flopped onto his back, Ayumi's arms wrapped tightly around his neck as she lay on top of him, the ring box popped out of his hand.

"Shit!" he cried, forcibly pulling his face from hers, and they both searched frantically through the grass when they realized the ring had fallen out. He exhaled deeply when Ayumi found it, his head flopping back in the cool grass, and she held it out to him with a dark blush. Smirking, he took her hand and slid it onto her ring finger, holding her hand for a moment before bringing it to his mouth and softly kissing her knuckles. Sitting on top of him, she just flushed with happiness, her eyes full of more love than either could them could put into words. His eyes probably looked the same, too.

"How do you think everyone will react when they learn you proposed to me in a cemetery on the grave of your dead wife?" she snickered suddenly, and it was his turn to blush. Groaning, he rubbed the back of his neck. _I should've thought this through. _Giggling at his reaction, she leaned down to kiss him lightly on the forehead. "It's okay. I think it's romantic. You wanted Temari to see, right?"

Perhaps on some level he did.

_Even though you're gone, you're still kicking my ass in gear, _he thought wryly as he glanced past her at the glittering stars. He could feel her smiling down at him. He looked back to Ayumi, reaching up to gently caress her chestnut hair that he loved so much.

"I'm so happy," he whispered. He didn't even realize that he had uttered it aloud until Ayumi's eyebrows crept up her forehead. Her slightly surprised expression melted into one of pure warmth.

"I'm happy too, Shikamaru," she sighed and looked down to admire the sparkling ring on her finger. The symbol of their happiness, their devotion, their _love. _

_I'll love you forever and ever, _he vowed to her silently. He could say it aloud, but he decided to wait- to say it at the altar, that is. Instead of talking, he moved his hand to the back of her head, pulling her into a deep, passionate kiss. Bathed in moonlight, the young couple shared in their special moment, their only audience the white moon, the glittering stars, and the soul of the brave young woman that had brought them together…


	14. Like the Sun and Like the Clouds

Category: Romantic Fluff, Family Fluff, Friendship Fluff

Characters: Shikamaru Nara and Temari

Requested By: into-a-fantasy (Tumblr)

"Are you finished yet?" Temari asked impatiently as she felt the soft make-up brush still dabbing foundation across her face, which she felt had received plenty of treatment already. The brush retracted after a final sweep over the bridge of her nose, and as she opened her eyes, little flecks of the powder falling from her mascara-pumped eyelashes, Ino was pursing her glossed lips at her.

"Temari, you wear make-up every day. Why are you complaining?" the blonde-haired girl tutted while snapping the foundation case shut and began rooting around the various make-up items on the wooden counter beside her to find her next project. Temari just exhaled deeply and leaned back in the chair, trying to keep her frown from deepening too much because Ino would yell at her and say she was going to get frown lines. "Lighten up already! You're the one who asked for my help!" Temari tutted a response, her blue eyes flickering to the mirror to stare at her rapidly transforming reflection. Despite the woman's fiery personality and unfiltered mouth, which would grate the average person, Temari rather liked Ino and they had become fast friends throughout her courtship with Shikamaru. You couldn't tell that now; Temari had been snipping at her since she arrived, but Ino just lightheartedly tolerated it. She probably didn't blame Temari for being on edge; after all, she was nervous as all hell.

In a few hours, she would be married.

"Just relax, Temari. It's the happiest day of your life!" Sakura chirped from another vanity, peering into the glass as she meticulously curled her lashes. After she flickered them a few times to ensure maximum volume and coverage, she flashed the former Sand ninja a smile. "Everything is going to go perfectly." Analytical as ever, Sakura had easily ascertained the root of Temari's anxiety. She had never been a perfectionist by any means, but something about the occasion brought such behavior out of Temari; she was just simply frantic that something would go wrong and it would be ruined.

Temari had admittedly been looking forward to the day with utmost joy. She had never been the romantic type (that was quite obvious from her awkwardness at the beginning of her and Shikamaru's relationship), but after being with him for so long, Temari knew with every fiber of her being that she loved him more than life itself and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Despite his own awkwardness and inability to say what he was feeling, she knew Shikamaru felt the same way about her. The Leaf and Sand villages had been cooperating well to make the ceremony a success. Yet, somehow, Temari just could not shake her pre-wedding jitters.

"I just don't know what's wrong with me," she sighed deeply as Ino brushed a splash of blush across her cheeks. She went to lean her cheek in her hand until Ino firmly smacked it aside, and Temari's mouth twitched. "I'm not getting second thoughts or anything. I just want it all to go well… I'll only get married once, after all."

"Stop worrying about it!" Ino said and forced Temari to shut her eyes so she could apply some eye shadow. Temari wanted to quip that it was easier said than done, but there was no winning against her. Instead, she tried to heed the two girls' advice and relax herself. _Everything is going to be fine. Everything will go well. _She kept repeating that in her head, and though her worries did not disappear completely, she _did _feel a little better. By then Ino had long since finished her make-up and had swung her chair around to begin tackling Temari's tresses of golden hair, pulling it out of her signature fluffy pigtails and combing it meticulously. "Damn, Temari, your hair really is thick, you know?" Ino grunted as she tugged and pulled at the strands with the brush and wound them around a curling iron.

Yes, she knew. No one ever knew it, but Temari had always secretly hated her hair. It was untamable, a pile of fluff on her head that obeyed no brush or hair products. She just always tied it back so she wouldn't have to think about it and no one would ever know. That is, until Shikamaru. He always told her how much he loved her hair, running his fingers through it while they talked, complimenting how it caught the sun. As she thought about it, her heart swelled and a smile formed on her lips. He would probably compliment her hair today, too. "Done!" Temari glanced up into the mirror and her mouth fell open slightly in shock. Ino had transformed her poofy, golden pigtails into a gorgeous up-do, with the strands curled and pulled back into a messy yet stylish bun and curling wisps falling about her face. Temari turned her face from side-to-side, simply amazed with the look.

"You look beautiful, Temari. You're gonna knock Shikamaru dead," Sakura mused as she appeared over her shoulder, leaning over as she similarly marveled the bride's reflection. Sakura's hair was much shorter, so she had simply braided her hair like a crown around the back of her head. It was simple, but very elegant, Temari thought.

"Sakura, will you help Temari into her dress while I do my hair and make-up?" Ino asked as she plopped down in the neighboring chair and began her work. Temari accompanied Sakura across the bridal suite where her dress was hanging from a closet doorframe. She and Shikamaru had elected for a white wedding rather than a traditional one; her gown was pure white, of course, but she had wanted a splash of color. The gown featured golden ribbons for the corset that bled into a stream of golden fabric flowing down her back and through the train, eventually spilling out into a golden puddle amongst the milky whiteness. The slim-fitting bodice was threaded with golden patterns. Temari had decided on a sleeveless dress, given they were doing a summer wedding. Just as Sakura was tying the last of the laces together and Ino was piling her bleach-blonde hair atop her head, there was a knock at the door. After her vigilant make-up and hair artists confirmed it was not her groom trying to catch a peek of her, her brothers walked in.

"Well, boys? What do you think of our handiwork?" Ino grinned at them through the mirror, too busy expertly poking bobby pins into her hair to turn around. Temari smiled bashfully as the two younger boys walked over to look her up and down.

"You're radiant, big sister," Gaara smiled sweetly up at her, and Kankuro nodded in agreement. The fact that they were there meant that the ceremony would begin soon. Temari had no father to walk her down the aisle, so she and Shikamaru had come up with the idea that her little brothers would have the honor instead. They were both wearing tuxedos with ties that matched to color of the accents on her wedding gown. They had both tried to slick their hair down, but their locks were as untamable as Temari's, so they still looked a scruffy mess. It made her happy, though. When they were young she was afraid they would never be close, especially her and Gaara, but time had proven her wrong.

"We'll give you a moment!" Sakura grinned as she carted Ino out into the hallway, the girl protesting all the while that she hadn't had the time to put on lipstick. The boys watched them leave before looking back at Temari.

"Ya know, I never would've dreamed that you would've ended up marrying Shikamaru," Kankuro commented with a smirk. Temari knitted her eyebrows together in confusion.

"Why's that?" An awkward look and a blush appeared on his face and he nervously rubbed the back of his neck while looking away.

"Well, you're… you know… And he's… You know…" he mumbled incoherently. Temari just giggled; she had only been teasing him. She and Shikamaru certainly were an odd match in a lot of ways; they had begun as rivals in the Chunin exams, and she had found him unmotivated and unimpressive, but he had turned around and impressed her in their match. Somehow, she had found herself gravitating toward him, a slacker who would rather watch clouds than do his duty but somehow still commanded her respect with his devotion to his friends and village. He had grown a lot and Temari had enjoyed watching him grow, though he sometimes got on her nerves with how clueless he could be. He was really the embodiment that smart people could still be really stupid in other areas- in his case, the opposite sex. She must have started daydreaming, because when she focused back on her brothers, they were smiling knowingly at her. It was her turn to blush.

"What?"

"Nothing. You're just the perfect picture of a gushing bride," Kankuro snorted, then cried out in pain as she smacked up upside his head. "Ow! Stop! You'll smear my face paint, Temari!" he whined as he ducked another blow. Gaara laughed under his breath.

"I think they're a good match. Temari has always been the most intelligent of us. It makes perfect sense that she'd fall for someone like him," he mused. Once more a pink hue painted her cheeks. She wasn't used to so much compliment and praise, especially from her little brothers. Gaara was usually to busy with his Kazekage duties and Kankuro was frankly just a little asshole. She was glad for it, though. Without warning, she reached forward to hug both of them around their necks, pulling their heads to touch them to her own, surprising them both.

"I love you both so much. Thank you for being here for me." Temari knew that she had not told them that she loved them enough, and she was going to end that habit right that instant. Whatever their differences and annoying quirks, they were still her blood, and her best friends. They were stiff for a few seconds, and then each of them wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close.

"Yeah. We're gonna miss you, Temari." Kankuro was much too stubborn to come out and say it, but she knew that was just his way of returning her affections.

"Come and visit us," Gaara added.

"Of course. I'm not going to be too far away, after all," she smiled as she pulled back and looked at them. She then grinned widely and ruffled their already messy hair, causing them both to squeak protests and scramble away from her. While she laughed lightly, Sakura poked her head back into the door with a mix of a serious and overwhelmingly excited expression.

"It's time!"

After the boys had settled down and she had tried to smooth down the spots in their hair sticking up with no success, they walked out of the room and down the hall to a winding staircase. The building was a popular spot for white weddings, which had risen in popularity in recent years; the upper level was the bridal suite while the bottom was a clear space for the ceremony. The reception would be in another area, with an even larger room and an outside pavilion. As she hovered in the landing of the staircase, she could hear the murmur of hushed voices. They didn't want a huge wedding, so Ino was her Maid of Honor and Choji the best man, with Sakura as her other bridesmaid and Naruto her escort as Shikamaru's other groomsman. They had already begun their procession down the stairs and down the aisle, and Temari hovered above the proceeding ceremony between her two brothers with mounting emotion. It wasn't anxiety, but a fierce bubbling happiness that actually brought tears to her eyes. She closed her eyes and tried to compose herself with a shaky breath, knowing Ino would never forgive her if she cried after all that effort put toward her make-up.

"Hey. Don't freak out on me now," Kankuro smirked in her ear and gave her arm a reassuring squeeze.

"Are you nervous?" her other brother asked worriedly. Temari smiled, opened her eyes, and shook her head, alleviated simply by their presence… and the knowledge that the man she loved with all her breath was waiting for her only a small distance away.

"No. I'm just… very, very happy."

"Well, happiness looks good on you," Kankuro smirked. Below, an attendant signaled that they should begin walking down, and the pair of boys each took one of her arms and began walking with her down the steps. The attendant passed her the bouquet as she passed, an arrangement of Ino's of white and gold to mirror her dress, with splashes of blue to highlight her sky-blue eyes. They turned around the landing and Temari's slippered feet met the roll of satin-like golden carpet sprinkled with white flower petals, and she lifted her eyes to look at the altar, where Shikamaru was waiting for her.

Seeing that smile on his face made her want to drop everything and run to him. Shikamaru never showed much emotion, but for once he let it all show; all the warmth and happiness and love in his expression rolled over that carpet to strike her like a tidal wave, making her actually stop in her tracks for a second. She managed to regain her composure when Gaara gave her a reassuring push in her back and began walking again. Her dress streamed behind her, pulling the flower petal with it. Temari supposed all the faces gazing at her were a mixture of awe and joy, but she didn't know. Her vision was trained on Shikamaru, the man she loved so fiercely it felt like it hurt, the man who had won her heart and whose heart she had won herself. She didn't even hear what her brothers said as they split off from her to sit down, and her hand extended on its own so Shikamaru could take it and pull her up onto the altar. She didn't even look at the officiator; she just stared, captivated, charmed, hopelessly in love at her husband-to-be. She probably looked like an idiot but she could care less in that moment.

"You should probably be listening," Shikamaru whispered to her with a chin nod to the man now speaking, and with a jolt and a flush of her cheeks she turned forward and actively began listening to the rites. Then she felt the strand of curled hair hanging beside her ear rustle and the tingle of Shikamaru's breath against her skin. "You look gorgeous, by the way."

"Thank you… You clean up well yourself." Shikamaru looked fine as hell in his tuxedo, not that she would ever admit it aloud to him.

"I figured, with the way you were staring at me." Temari puffed out her cheeks defiantly to stare up at him; of course, he had been baiting her, and was smirking in amusement. The officiator was still droning on about the blessing of marriage or whatever.

"I could still say 'no.'"

"And miss out on netting this catch? I don't think so."

"You're not a catch. More like a dirty shoe someone fished out of a dirty lake." The officiator was either oblivious to their hushed back-and-forth banter, or simply didn't care. Shikamaru laughed breathily, and while the officiator was looking off to the crowd, picked up that stray strand of golden hair and pulled it to his lips.

"Well, if I'm a dirty shoe, you must be the sun, because you're glowing, Temari." Temari opened and shut her mouth several times as she struggled to respond to that annoyingly smooth remark, while her groom laughed and hastily dropped her hair when the officiator returned his attention to them, as if nothing had happened at all. _Ugh! He's so annoying and so sexy at the same time! _Such was the conundrum of their relationship; she _hated _when he got the one-up on her but damn it, she loved how smooth he could be when he managed to not be clueless about a woman's heart. Shaken, she stumbled over her words as the officiator asked her to recite her lines, making Shikamaru smirk even more.

"I hate you," she hissed at him as the clergy began to recite more lines. Her heart was pounding in her ribcage now, no longer from the excitement of the day but because he was so infuriatingly confident and suave at the moment.

"If that were true, you wouldn't be standing here, would you?" They were interrupted by the clergy's prompting again, and without missing a beat, Shikamaru popped off the required words. Trying to hide her bitterness, Temari faked a lovely smile and a sweet tone to do the same, and after it was done, she immediately looked up at him dourly. "Hey, if you keep scowling like that, your face may freeze that way."

"Shut up." She was aggravated that she couldn't think of anything smarter than that. Finally it was time for them to say their "I do's," and of course she wasn't going to say no, but she sure was bristling at that point. _Damn him and his smart little remarks… I'm not gonna lose! _She fumed silently as Shikamaru responded to the priest, and barely listened as he turned to her. She stared at the man speaking, painfully aware as Shikamaru leaned over to whisper in her ear again, in just a way that the man didn't notice.

"Come on, Temari, don't you have anything better to say than 'shut up'?"

"I do!" she snapped, ironically at just the right time. She went pink as the officiator looked at her funny and the crowd rustled with confused murmurs behind her. "A-ahem. I do," she repeated more clearly and more calmly, shooting Shikamaru a side-eyed glare as he stifling his snickers. The clergy began droning on again. "You're dead meat."

"No, I'm a dirty shoe."

"I'm going to _kill _you."

"Since when is that new?" The officiator announced that they could kiss, and her face was nearly red by that point. She begrudgingly glared up at him as she turned to face him, him and that stupidly sexy snarky grin of his.

"You're awfully confident today."

"Well, I _am _marrying the woman of my dreams." Temari's eyes widened slightly, and instead of anger she felt a flood of amusement and happiness, because she finally had something good to respond to his awfully on-point banter.

"Well, that's good. I'm marrying the man of my dreams."

"That mean you won't kill me?" he chuckled as he wound one arm around her waist, and swept his other hand across her forehead to brush away a lock of her golden hair like the sun.

"Not today, at least."

"I'll take it."

Temari really did feel like she was glowing as he leaned down to softly press his mouth to hers, shining as brilliantly as the sun as the happiness filled her body and the sound of applause filled her ears. If she was Shikamaru's sun, holding him by her gravity and bringing him light, he was her universe, the thing that made her whole and gave her meaning. When they pulled apart, she was gazing up at him with the same intensity of love and joy she had seen when she had first appeared on the aisle.

"I love you, even if you get on my nerves," she smiled, her expression morphing into a coy and playful one.

"I love you, even if you can't go one sentence without insulting me," Shikamaru laughed and leaned forward again to plant a kiss on her forehead. They were about to start walking to the reception, but Kankuro suddenly sprung from the crowd and belly-flopped onto Temari's train to clutch onto her leg.

"I take it back! Don't leave!" Temari gawked down at him, amazed that he would abandon his pride and experience so much emotion, and then looked back when Gaara walked over.

"Um, Gaara, maybe you should-" She was interrupted as he worldlessly grabbed her arm and buried his face into her shoulder, blushing profusely. She blinked, completely dumbfounded by the turn of events, then began laughing loudly. "Oh, good grief, what _am _I going to do with you two? I can't be married for a minute, at least?"

"No. Marriage is over. Divorce him and come back with us _forever_," Kankuro grumbled, his voice muffled by the trusses of fabric in his face. Gaara was still just silently clutching onto her like a newborn, his dignity as Kazekage on the line but still overwhelmed enough to be unable to resist. Shikamaru just stared down at Kankuro, absolutely floored and unsure of quite what expression to make.

"Guys, I'll come visit."

"Promise?!" they both shouted and looked at her pleadingly with their fingers digging into her dress.

"_Yes_!" she laughed, and they both looked at each other before begrudgingly detaching themselves from her. Shikamaru cocked an eyebrow as Kankuro shoved a finger in his face.

"I'm warning you. Make her unhappy and you're _dead_." He then whipped around to march down the carpet to the reception area with a very embarrassed Gaara trailing after him, until Naruto sprang on him to drag him off to go try some of the delicacies at the food table. Temari giggled and leaned her head on Shikamaru's shoulder as she watched her adorable little brothers go.

"… Did I just have a _stroke_?" he asked as he looked down at her in confusion.

"Oh, you know how people get at weddings. Anything can happen." He smirked and bonked his head against hers for a second before glancing up at the sky. _Eyes still watching the clouds, same as always, _she thought as she watched his dark eyes trace the puffy white ships across the blue ocean above. Now that she thought about it, he was like the clouds; unassuming, simple, but yet also capable of bringing storms when needed. While he was side-tracked, she stood on her tip-toes to peck him on the cheek. "We'd better get going before people start to get impatient." His face screwed up in annoyance.

"Man, you mean this thing isn't over yet?" he whined but obediently began walking her down the carpet.

"I warned you that marrying me would be a drag."

Their playful arguing aside, Temari knew that Shikamaru was as happy as she was, and she found herself looking up at the clouds to. She was floating in the sky, carried by a wind of joy and unable to come down, with the man she loved right there next to her. Love was a drag, but a drag that was _completely_ worth it when all was said and done. With that thought in her mind and happiness in her heart, she walked with Shikamaru into the arms of their friends and through the uncertain, exciting door of their future together…


	15. Glowing

Category: Friendship Fluff

Characters: Naruto Uzumaki, Rock Lee, and Gaara

Requested By: Anonymous User

"Heyyyy! Gaaraaaaaaaa~!"

Gaara looked up with slightly narrowed eyes as someone excitedly called for him. Since he and his siblings had successfully rescued the Leaf ninja from some pretty gruesome fates at the hands of Orochimaru's monstrous henchmen, they had been staying in the Leaf village. The village had yet to completely recover from the snake-like man's previous attack during the Chunin exams, and upon seeing all the destruction still yet to be amended, the three of them had made the collective decision to remain there and assist in the reconstruction efforts. They had been central in causing all that grief and chaos, after all- especially him, so it was a pretty important matter. Gaara was trying very hard to turn his life around and make himself a better person, and he thought righting the wrong he had committed at the lowest point of his life was a pretty good way to do that. Some of the villagers still looked at him apprehensively and avoided him, of course, and he tried not to let it get to him.

It was easier to do with people like Rock Lee.

The taijutsu master grinned down at him from the third-floor window of Konoha Hospital, his teeth flashing in the sun as he grinned absurdly and waved his hand frantically to get his attention. Gaara turned off the road and walked down the path toward the hospital, intending to check himself in and go visit him, but Lee had other ideas; he literally jumped from the third-floor window to land unceremoniously in the bushes lining the hospital walls. Gaara just stared in mild concern at the wriggling green leaves. He knew Lee was tough enough to survive a jump like that, especially landing in the cushiony embrace of the bushes, but sometimes he just couldn't follow the excitable boy's thought processes. Lee was all-smiles as he clambered out of the hedges, twigs sticking out of his bowl cut and clinging to his green jumpsuit. "Hello, Gaara! I am glad I caught you passing by! I have not yet had the chance to see how you were recovering after your fight with Kimimaro!" he announced as he bounced happily over to him.

"Oh. I'm doing well. I didn't really get that hurt in the battle," Gaara answered awkwardly and looked himself up and down. Thanks to his sand armor he had escaped relatively unscathed; Lee was the one who had been beaten up, really. On top of that, he had still been recovering from the injuries he had sustained from Gaara during the Chunin exams. He tried not to think about that. "What about you? Are you well?" _How foolish. Of course he's doing well; he just jumped out of a window, _he immediately thought with a hot rush of mortification. Gaara had yet to pin down the intricacies of social interaction. Thankfully, Lee didn't miss a beat.

"I am _wonderful_! I am in the prime of my youth, after all!" he crowed, quite unnecessarily Gaara thought but not unexpectedly, really, and threw his arms in the air as his eyes went ablaze with passion. "Everyone else is recovering as well! Neji and Choji's surgeries went great, and Kiba and Naruto are both awake as well!" At the mention of the boisterous, blonde-haired ninja's name, Gaara's mouth drew into a taut line and he cast his head down.

Naruto Uzumaki. He was a strange boy, a boy so like him it was frightening. It was Naruto who had made Gaara see that the path he was on was the wrong one. He owed him a lot. And yet, he hadn't said a word to him since that day…

"Is… Naruto still in the hospital?"

"Oh, yes. His fight with Sasuke left him with quite a lot of injuries. He has decided to leave on a training mission as soon as he is healed!" Lee reported, then looked up at the sky with quivering lips and eyes swimming with tears as he gripped his fist tightly. "Such determination and dedication to a friend! Naruto is truly remarkable!"

"Yes… He is…" Gaara mumbled in agreement. His face felt kind of hot. _He's leaving, then… _

"Why do you ask? Would you like to see him?" At that prompting, Gaara jumped and began to sputter some excuses, embarrassed. Lee didn't really listen to his answer, though. "Come with me! Let us go see Naruto together~!" he chimed and grabbed him by his red sash to literally drag him into the hospital. Gaara was so in shock he was able to little but force his feet to move as Lee carted him around the hospital and deposited him in front of the door to Naruto's room. At first he just stared blankly, unable to cope with so much happening in so little time, so Lee took the initiative to throw the door open and shove Gaara inside. "Naruto! I have brought you a visitor!" he cheered in delight. Meanwhile, Gaara's face was flushing the color of his hair, and he was pretty sure his brain had been reduced to jelly because all he could do was gawk pitifully at the bandage-wrapped boy sitting in the hospital bed staring out the window. As he saw Naruto's head turn, he inhaled sharply and ducked behind Lee, peering around his shoulder with wide eyes. "Huh? Why are you hiding, Gaara?"

"Gaara?" Naruto blinked and leaned forward to catch sight of the redhead huddling awkwardly behind Lee. Gaara's shoulders hunched up to his ears as he short-circuited. _No! I can't do this! _He thought wildly as he looked everywhere but at Naruto. As his eyeballs rolled around in his head they still managed to land on him, though, and found him smiling kindly. "Shikamaru told me all about how you guys came and saved everybody. Thanks." Gaara's pink cheeks continued to burn as he finally forced himself to look at him.

"Oh… It was… Nothing…"

"It was not 'nothing' at all! You should have seen the way he dealt with Kimimaro, Naruto! It was quite spectacular indeed!" Lee crowed. Gaara smiled weakly, glad that Lee was singing his praises and appreciated his efforts. It made him happy that he could move past the awful things he did and look at him in such a way. _If he can… Maybe Naruto will, too… _He took a small breath and slowly stepped out from behind Lee, holding his head up a little bit as his fingers twitched awkwardly.

"I… Wanted to see… If you were well," he told Naruto slowly. The blue-eyed boy blinked a few times, then grinned broadly, so broadly that his eyes and nose scrunched up. _He looks really glad that I asked! _Gaara thought with a flutter of hope.

"Yeah, o'course! It'll take more than this to take me down! Just wait 'n see, I'll be up and at 'em again in no time!" Naruto's boundless energy and optimism soothed Gaara somewhat, and he felt himself relax a little. He hadn't reacted with anger, so that was at least something.

"That's good." He felt his lips curling into a small smile. He then jumped as Naruto threw back the covers and jumped out of the bed to scamper over to him. Gaara stiffened like a board as Naruto literally looked him up and down, bobbing and weaving to inspect him at all angles, then brought his face close to his own with squinting eyes.

"You're _different_."

"I am?" he squeaked in alarm. It was true, he was, but the entire situation still had him sparking like fulgurite in the sand. After a second, he realized what Naruto meant, and he nodded eagerly. "I-I _am. _Y-You see, Naruto, I, uh…" he trailed off, his gaze falling to his feet as he struggled to form the words. He knew Naruto would appreciate it most if he just came right out and said it. _I want him to know the truth… _"After we fought, I realized that I could be different… I wanted… to be like you," he muttered as he flushed slightly, and looked up to meet his curious gaze. "Life is… different for me now, and I was… I was wondering if… we could be friends." His voice grew quieter and quieter as he went on, until it was nothing more than a whisper. As he finished, Naruto's eyes went wide as moons, and he just stared at him for a second. Gaara internally panicked, thinking that perhaps Naruto wanted no such thing.

However, the boy gave him his happiest, most friendly smile.

"Of course, Gaara! I'll be your friend! Your very _first _friend!" he agreed adamantly and nodded his head up and down. Lee jumped over to give him an identical grin and a thumbs-up.

"I will be your second friend, because two friends is much better than one, yes?" Gaara looked between the two of them, then smiled shyly and nodded with a pink hue to his cheeks. _Friends… I have friends… _He felt an unfamiliar feeling bubbling up inside him that made him feel warm, fuzzy, content. _Is this… What it feels like to be happy? _He glanced up again to find that the room was filling with gold, spilling in from the window as the sun outside set. It cast Naruto and Lee in its brilliance, highlight the sheer joy on their faces, and then washed over Gaara, making him feel even warmer. _Yes, it must be. _

"Hey, the sun is setting," Lee remarked as he looked over his shoulder. Naruto followed suit, and then looked back at Gaara with a devilish grin.

"Hey, I've got an _idea._"

A few seconds later Gaara was watching with extreme concern as Naruto hung from the frame of the window, his legs kicking and his tongue sticking out as he judged the distance to the ground.

"Erm… Naruto… Why don't we just go out the front door?"

"Because I'm not allowed to leave, duh!" he barked back as his sandals scraped the outside of the wall. Before Gaara could comment, the boy dropped down to the ground and landed in the bushes with a frightened _aaack! _Gaara watched with a frown as he thrashed around in the quivering leaves, then crawled out from underneath the hedges, wheezing and covered in the green plant growth. He stood up and brushed himself off with a weary sigh, then called up to him impatiently. "Hurry up! We don't have a lot of time!" Gaara had no idea what they were rushing for, but he obediently climbed out of the window and dropped down to the ground, landing quite more gracefully than the pair of leaf ninja. He had left his gourd at the hotel, otherwise he would have used his sand to glide down. As he stepped out of the bushes, brushes the little leaves out of his clothes, Naruto grabbed him by the wrist and yanked him into a run. "C'mon, c'mon, we gotta hurry!"

"O-okay!" he squawked as he stumbled after him. Once again, all he could do was struggle to keep up as the pair of Leaf ninja bustled him along the streets of Konoha, laughing and hooting excitedly. Their shadows were stretched and distorted in the setting sun, playfully bobbing along beneath them as they weaved around shopping stalls and small crowds, jumping about and startling the vendors and shoppers and earning frustrated yells in response. Lee and Naruto just laughed it off, continuous to raucously race through the town until they arrived to a lush, green wood. The golden sunlight of the sunset vanished beneath the shade of the green, and the scent of dust and the market was replaced by loamy earth and forest must. The tall grass whipped at Gaara's legs and the tree branches plucked at his hair, while the moisture condensed on his face. Just as the golden ball dipped below the horizon and left the world in cool shade, they burst out of the undergrowth into a clearing, where a canvas of stars instead of a blanket of leaves lie above their heads. "What are we-?"

"_Shh!" _Naruto hissed and put a finger to his lips. Gaara obediently pressed his own together despite his acute befuddlement. "Just wait a second. They'll be out soon." _"They"? __**Who**__? _Naruto and Lee kept looking at the clearing's edge excitedly, bristling with anticipation, while Gaara wondered who they could be waiting on. Turns out it wasn't a _who _at all.

Gaara stared in amazement as little flickering lights began to drift out of the trees. The little white balls drifted along the breeze, shambling along the current as they blinked softly. It seemed like the stars themselves had descended to the ground to dance, circling the three young boys in a silent waltz just above the grass. Gaara crouched down and cupped his hands as once of them drifted close, his blueish eyes reflecting the soft glow as he gazed at it in absolute wonder.

"What are they?" he whispered, afraid his breath may startle it away. The little light hovered in his hands, casting his face in that soft white brilliance. He didn't move as Naruto and Lee leaned over his shoulders.

"They're called fireflies."

"You do not have them in the desert, right, Gaara?" He shhok his head slowly, weighing every movement carefully to avoid startling the little creature. As it settled on his hands, he could discern that it was a little bug with a blinking bulb on its tail end. It tickled his palm as it scurried around, and then it fluttered its tiny wings and flew off to join the rest of its sparkling brethren in their moonlight dance. Gaara's eyes followed it, almost saddened to see it depart.

"They're beautiful…"

"I knew you'd love 'em!" Naruto snickered as he stretched out in the grass. A torrent of the fireflies rushed into the air as he laid down, rising above him in a swirling, glittering cloud. He exhaled deeply as he put his hands behind his head. "Sometimes I just like to come out here and watch 'em fly around, y'know? Makes me forget the stressful things."

"Indeed! Plus they are simply marvelous to look at!" Lee agreed as he flopped down in a similar fashion. Gaara noticed that there was a significant amount of space between them. "Come on, Gaara!" Lee insisted and patted the ground. With that similar feeling swelling in his chest again, Gaara nodded and laid down on his back between them. At first, feeling the grass was a bit odd since he was not used to it, but soon he found it comforting. As he stared up at the clouds drifting across the starry night sky, and the fireflies flitting about in the air between that sky and them, he _did _feel at ease. He smiled as one of them landed in his bright red hair, and then giggled. "I am very glad you are having a good time!" Lee beamed at him. The brightness of his smile could rival the moon.

"You said it! You know what, we should get ramen after this!" Naruto agreed with a nod of his head and his eyes scrunched up in joy. Gaara was exceptionally happy, surrounded by the strange bugs and beside his two very first friends, until he realized something.

"… I have to go home soon."

"Oh. Yeah, that is kinda a bummer, isn't it?" Naruto frowned and scratched his cheek.

"Not to worry!" Lee interjected, and Gaara looked at him. "It does not matter how far apart we are! We are always friends! That is a fact!"

"Yeah! And besides, you can come visit. And we can go visit you! I'm sure there's lotsa cool stuff in the desert you can show us!" Naruto chimed in. Gaara swiveled his head to look at both of them again, smiling brightly, and then laughed.

"Yes, you're right. I'll remember that." He smiled in contentment and laid his head back, watching the little glowing lights flit about while his own happiness glowed within. Not only had he made friends, but some good ones.

That was something he could hold on to forever, along with the memory of the fireflies in the night, carrying all the wonder and beauty of a future untold, and the promise of a friendship to last a lifetime…


	16. Life's a Circus

Category: Friendship Fluff

Fandom: Naruto

Characters: Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno

Requested By: KoalaTakingNotes (FanFiction)

"A circus?"

Sakura's green eyes widened as Naruto elatedly presented the colorful flyer that he had spotted on the window of a local pastry shop during his jaunt to meet the pink-haired kunoichi at Ichiraku Ramen for dinner. Now that the war was over and the world was all peace-filled, they had taken to scheduling weekly get-togethers of the team. Sai was off on a mission this evening, but he and Sakura had decided to meet anyway because neither of them had anything better to do; when he had spotted the announcement, he had instantly realized that it was the perfect opportunity to shake up the hum-drum of routine.

"Yeah! They've put up a big pavilion in one of the training grounds! It starts in an hour; if we book it, we can totally make it, believe it!" The last time he had been to the circus was that business in Crescent Moon Island, way back when he was a plucky little Genin. He had thoroughly enjoyed it then, and there was no reason that several years later the opposite would be true. "It says they got a hypnotist!" he insisted while fervently pointing at the exciting script that indicated such. Sakura's lips were pursed in a look of displeasure and uncertainty that he had often seen her wear.

"I don't know, Naruto. A hypnotist? Sounds like a sham. It's probably genjutsu."

"Who cares?" he whined and slouched over dramatically. Then, pouring as much pleading sparkle into his clear blue eyes as he could muster, he tilted his head upwards into a begging puppy-dog expression, bottom lip poked out and his cheeks filling with the rosy innocence of an endearing child. "Please, Sakura? It'll be fun! Believe it!" Sakura rolled her eyes at his deplorable attempts at placating her, but he knew it worked like a charm from the faint smile that graced her lips. She exhaled deeply while tossing a hand through her sakura-colored hair.

"Oh, all right… It is something different, after all." Naruto cheered with delight and shoved the flyer back into his trusty pouch before grabbing Sakura by the hand, insisting that they take off that instant. The girl yelped some kind of startled response as he jerked on her arm, pulling her into a run to make a mad dash for the big top circus that they could just barely see poking above the horizon of village buildings and trees that was the Hidden Leaf Village.

Naruto was literally vibrating with energy as he sat beside Sakura in the bleachers that circled the circus floor; his leg bounced at lightspeed as he shoved handfuls of popcorn into his mouth, practically embodying the image of a twitchy chipmunk. "Calm down, will you? It's just a circus, Naruto." The words would've irritated him if it weren't for her playful tone of voice. As he gave her a side-eye, strategically maneuvering the half-eaten popcorn in his mouth so as not to choke and die, she flashed him that sweet smile of hers and leaned over to grab a handful of the popcorn from the bucket and eat it in a much more delicate manner than himself. If he had been in this situation a year prior, Naruto would've been swooning at the prospect that he and Sakura were on a date, but he no longer had any fantasies of such; at some point his romantic affections for the girl had been replaced by friendship and respect. A lot of that had to do with Sasuke, who had more or less acknowledged Sakura's feelings for him and in his own weird way expressed some level of mutual attraction, though that was yet undecided; he had left her at the village entrance with only cryptic words as before, disappearing into the blue for his mission for atonement or whatever. Regardless, Naruto was actually quite happy with the situation. He liked spending time with Sakura on just a friendship basis and wasn't actively seeking anything more.

"Hey, are you paying attention? The show is about to start!" Sakura's giggly voice and elbow into his ribs brought him out of his introspection. His eyes fixed onto the streaming stage lights, white circles tracing patterns across the packed dirt floor before settling on the ringmaster dramatically flourishing on a decorated pedestal.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome!" he announced, and the crowd responded with a raucous chorus of cheers and claps. The ringmaster gave the characteristic, dramatic introduction before vanishing beyond the cloth fabric of the big top, allowing the performers to literally steal his show. Naruto and Sakura soon became engrossed in the splendorous performances of the circus actors; graceful acrobats performed gravity-defying feats of gymnastics upon thin ropes and swinging bars, leaping across the air in complex flips and spins. Next, a set of ribbon dancers glided down from a catwalk high above their heads. Sakura thoroughly enjoyed this bit, tears filling her enraptured eyes as powerful instrumental music echoed about the big top to accompany the dancers elegantly soared around the room like beautiful birds (in fact, their costumed features plumaged leotards and ornate feathered headdresses); Naruto thought it was pretty but had no idea why Sakura seemed so emotional about the entire dance, and when he commented on this she whacked him over the head and called him an uncultured twit. As he nursed the goose egg that was already poking out of his fluffy blonde hair, he made a mental note to just let her cry over whatever she wanted with no comment.

A parade of animals, tigers and monkeys and elephants clothed in patterned fabrics led by similarly clothed retainers, marched a circle around the big top before dispersing across the floor to engage in a series of tricks. Acrobats danced across the elephants, lightly flitting over their backs and across their thick trunks; the monkeys juggled a few balls and engaged in humorous banter with a posse of clowns that had Naruto rolling in his seat, leaving Sakura the one to be unimpressed; the twin tigers demonstrated their roaring prowess before leaping through flaming hoops. By the time the crux of the performance arrived, the promised hypnotist, Naruto and Sakura were thoroughly entertained.

The performer glided out onto center stage like a phantom, silent but nonetheless captivating. A black mask eclipsed his facial features, and as he swung his arm in a dramatic flourish, the cape he was wearing flapped like dark bats entering the night from their dank cave. Piercing blue eyes flitted across the crowd, smug and calculating.

"For my performance tonight, I require a set of volunteers. Would anyone like to step forward?" Naturally the crowd exploded into thunderous cheers and cries, and hands waved in the air like flags flapping in a fierce breeze. Of course, Naruto jumped to his feet hooting and hollering like a buffoon, making Sakura grimace beside him; his little stunt worked, however, as the hypnotist's eyes fixed upon him and a smirk graced his thin lips. "I think you and that lovely lady you're with will do quite nicely. Would you please join me?" he asked, and Naruto was momentarily blinded as the stage lights shifted to bathe them in their intense white brilliance- or, perhaps he was blinded by the opportunity at stardom.

"C'mon, Sakura, let's go!" he snickered as he grasped her hand tightly to drag her out of the bleachers and down to the circus floor. The poor girl stumbled to keep up with Naruto's manic energy. His giggles floated behind them in a song, and he was still chuckling in anticipation as he joined the very handsome hypnotist on the floor. He could tell that he was handsome because a light blush painted Sakura's cheeks when he took her hand to lightly kiss the top of it, like a prince would a princess. He gave Naruto a regal bow, which Naruto returned politely and somehow did not lose his balance and make a fool of himself.

"Very good. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I will recite the ancient words and when I finish, these two will be compelled to do as I wish. You two, just stand there for a moment, please," he purred with another flourish of his cape, raising his hands in what was undoubtedly some form of intricate incantation. Naruto and Sakura looked at each other out of the corners of their eyes as he began to utter some sort of foreign language. Naruto supposed he should have felt something, something related to the supposed magic or genjutsu or whatever the hypnotist was doing, but he felt nothing. He could tell from the puzzled look on Sakura's face that she felt the same; likely she had already released the genjutsu if there was one, and was about to make him out to be a fraud. _Is this guy really a sham? _He wondered as the man finished speaking. No tingling, no sleepiness, nothing at all; Naruto ran his hands over his body to ensure that he was no different, but he was not. As he moved, the hypnotist's electric eyes locked onto Naruto. "You there. Do you know how to dance?"

"Do what?" Naruto spluttered. _What the hell kinda question is that?! _

"Dance. I think you do. Why don't you show the audience, please?" Naruto was about to tell him to shove off, but all of a sudden his body suddenly jerked without him even thinking about it.

"What the-?" he squeaked in fright as his arms and legs suddenly started moving on their own, and he swept an equally surprised Sakura up in some form of elaborate tango, one hand on her hip and the other grasping hers as he spun her around and around the circus floor.

"Naruto! What do you think you're doing?!" she snapped at him as he very uncoordinatedly wrenched her around in some poor excuse for ballroom.

"I dunno! My body just started moving on its own!" he cried back. His response was nearly drowned by the crowd's mixture of cheers and laughter. Naruto's ears began to burn with embarrassment, and he shot a glare out into the bleachers as his shoulders hunched up haughtily. "Bastards! Stop laughin'!" he whined.

"Stop, please." At the hypnotist's utterance, Naruto abruptly regained control of his body, and he jumped away from his partner to begin stomping over to the hypnotist. His teeth were grinding and he was rolling up the sleeve of his jumpsuit while he flexed his arm muscles for a very savage punch.

"What'd you do ta me? Why I oughta-"

"You _ought to _take a nap, please."

Next thing Naruto knew, he was blinking awake, lying flat on his back in the sandy floor of the circus. Sakura was leaning over him, her pink eyebrows knit together in concern.

"What the-?" he mumbled groggily as he wearily lifted his head. Another goose egg had joined the one Sakura had given him earlier, and a wheedling whine slipped out of him as his fingers caressed the very tender lumps. "Ouch…"

"You passed out all of a sudden, and as soon as he told you to wake up, you did," Sakura murmured to him as she placed a hand at the small of his back to help him sit up. Naruto's bottom lip poked out as he glowered at the charismatic hypnotist, who had his arms crossed and a very accomplished smirk decorating his annoyingly pretty face.

"It's definitely some type of genjutsu," he grumbled as he pushed himself up to his feet, brushing the dirt off his bottom and back before dramatically pointing at the hypnotist. "Stop makin' a fool of me! I know your trick, believe it!" He then whirled on his heel to face Sakura, making her eyebrows shoot up to her forehead. "Hit me! It'll get rid of the genjutsu, right?"

"Don't be a moron."

"The young lady is right, you know. My hypnotism isn't some trick just _anyone_ can beat," the hypnotist chuckled lightly with a small shrug and light toss of his head. He cracked an eye open when Sakura scoffed loudly. Naruto beamed as the confident smirk jumped from the hypnotist's face to hers. "Oh? You think you've figured it out? Let's test the theory then, shall we? Miss, why don't you come over here and give me a kiss, please?"

"Do _what_?!" Naruto screeched. "Sakura, there's no wa- _ehhh?_" When the blonde turned once more to stare incredulously at the pink-haired kunoichi, he found her not at his side, but sidling over to the very amused hypnotist who was leaning to the side tapping his cheek with his index finger expectantly. Sakura clasped her hands behind her back and shyly wiggled her shoulders, and Naruto smirked. _Hah! She's just acting! She's about to sock this loony into next week! _

Naruto's jaw hit the floor when she did not in fact deliver one of her signature punches to the smug bastard, but instead leaned over and very delicately pressed her lips to his cheek. All the while those glittering blue eyes bored into Naruto's, issuing a daring challenge. Steam blew out of Naruto's ears and his teeth nearly ground themselves into dust. Sakura, meanwhile, composed herself and jumped backwards with a horrified gasp, her hands flying to her mouth and her green eyes wide as moons.

"D-did I just-?!"

The girls in the crowd, meanwhile, were losing their minds. It seemed they were quite jealous of Sakura's opportunity to deliver a kiss to the beguiling young man. As Naruto continued to rage, the hypnotist laughed in a carefree manner and dramatically bowed to the crowd.

The hypnotist spent the rest of his performance making an utter fool out of Naruto and parading Sakura around as some sort of bewitching, beautiful partner of his. By the end of it, they were both red-faced and steaming like tomatoes in the sun. Meanwhile, the hypnotist was lapping up the crowd, bowing as roses rained down on him.

"Thank you, thank you! It has been a splendorous evening! Please give a round of applause to my lovely two assistants," he purred while holding out a rose to Sakura, who promptly snatched it out of his hand and crumpled the poor flower in her overpowered fist. Naruto was in as foul a mood; his eye had been twitching for the last ten minutes now, and it was beginning to ache.

"We are never going to the circus again."

"No, never," Naruto muttered in agreement.

"The nerve of that jerk! He made total fools of us!" Naruto snapped as soon as he located the nearest trash can and kicked it over. He then felt bad when it startled a nearby stray cat and sent it slinking into the alleyway with a terrified mew. "Oh, no, kitty, I'm so sorry!" he wailed in dismay and crawled through the upended trash after it. The cat did not forgive him, and he slunk back to Sakura covered in scratches and his pride even more bruised. The girl seemed not to notice at all; she had her hand on her chin and her eyebrows knitted as she pondered something deeply. "Yo, what're thinkin' about so hard?"

"That _hypnotist. _He _had _to have been using some kind of genjutsu, but why wasn't I able to release it?"

"Who knows? Who _cares_? I wanna forget about the whole ordeal," he groaned while assuming a cross-legged position right in the middle of the street. Half of the village had been there, and he knew that he was going to be dogged about his laughable antics for weeks. Sakura was not so willing to do so. The ground cracked underneath her as she stamped her foot, making Naruto yelp and cringe.

"No! I have to know!"

"Jeez! Would you just forget about it, please?" he argued back hotly. He saw Sakura's body tense and he immediately curled up, shielding his tender head from a third blow from the undoubtedly irate kunoichi. The expected fist never fell, and he gingerly peered out of the gap in his arms to see Sakura with a completely puzzled expression on her face. "Sakura?"

"I forgot what I was talking about just now." Naruto would've told her not to joke about things like that, knowing she would be playing off the hypnotism, but as good as an actor she was, she could not fake the acute level of confusion and concern that was painted across her features at that moment. Naruto lowered his arms, his eyebrow rising instead. "I… really don't remember."

The lightbulb blazed in Naruto's head.

"Sakura… Did that guy ever actually _release _the hypnotism?" She put a finger to her lips as she pondered the question, and her expression gradually turned more horrified.

"Now that you mention it… He didn't do another weird incantation, did he?" The silence settled between them like a thick fog… and was promptly blasted away as the simultaneously released mortified screeches and pulled at their hair.

"You mean we're gonna be like this forever?!"

"Hell no! We have to find a way to release this genjutsu! I can't be doing weird things every time someone says 'please'!" Sakura cried as she very angrily ruffled her pink hair about. She then grabbed Naruto by the wrist, ignoring his whimper as he felt his bones crunch under her much-too-tight grip. "Come on! We aren't sleeping until we sort this out!" He tried to dig in his feet, but he only accomplished scoring deep trenches into the earth. His whines and begs for Sakura to release him floated up into the night air, ignored and forgotten as she concentrated on fuming about their dismal situation…

Naruto's bottom lip was wobbling and tears were quietly leaking from his eyes as he gingerly held an ice pack around his very likely broken wrist, huddled on the floor like some sort of depressed gremlin. Sakura, completely unaware of the injury she had caused him, had pulled her hair up into a short ponytail and was chewing on the eraser end of a pencil, staring down at the words she had scribbled down onto a scrap sheet of paper. The brilliant girl had of course memorized the words should they come in handy to breaking the genjutsu. "This definitely isn't a language I've heard before. The secret must lie in these words. Perhaps it's some sort of cipher…" she mumbled to herself. She had been just staring at it for nearly an hour, and it was late into the night. Naruto was sleepy. With a groan, he flopped onto his side and peered up at her wearily through his bangs.

"Can't we just figure this out in the morning?"

"No!" Naruto rolled onto his back and kicked his legs and arms about like a child throwing a tantrum. "Stop acting like a child, Naruto! Please." Per the hypnosis, he immediately ceased all actions and his face grew deadpan.

"I have paperwork to do."

"If that's your idea of being an adult, I'm concerned," she snorted with laughter. Naruto regained his sense, blinking, and then grimaced deeply. As much as he wanted to crawl into his bed and conk out, it _was_ annoying to be subject to the hypnotism. He dragged himself up into a sitting position- well, more of a slouching position- and frowned at her while she continued to tut to herself. It didn't take long for his attention span to lapse and the boredom to itch beneath his skin. _Man, this is so lame! If I have to sit here and just watch her try to figure this out all night, I'm gonna go nuts! _he complained to himself. His eyes wandered over to the cipher scrawled onto the paper, which had apparently not yet revealed anything to the smart young woman. _So the rule of the hypnosis is if you say "please" after telling someone what to do, they gotta do it, right? _A mischievous egg hatched into a devilish little chick of an idea in his mind. Sakura was too busy thinking to notice the wily grin spread across his face.

"Hey, Sakura. Do a handstand, please." Her cry of protest caught in her throat as her body reacted against her will, and he cackled in triumph as she literally threw herself into the form. She spit thin strands of pink hair from her lips as her green eyes burned like smoldering sea foam. "Ahahaha! Now I get why it's so funny!"

"Naruto, cluck like a chicken, please." Sakura had not even fallen from the handstand before the words left her mouth, dripping with acidic anger. The gasp that he was going to release exited as a loud squawk, and she smirked while Naruto tried to speak and only managed to utter ridiculous clucks for a good few seconds. As she rolled onto her back and sat up again, tossing her ruffled hair over her shoulder, Naruto sniffed dourly. It was definitely on now.

"All right, Sakura, I want you to howl like a wolf for a whole minute, _please!_" Naruto scrambled out of the way of her attempted stranglehold, and as she flopped on her belly grasping at the air where he had been sitting just a few precious seconds before, she opened her mouth and let out a long, not-very-wolf-like howl. Her green eyes flashed with malice and she scrambled after him, chasing him around and around his bedroom, howling like a deranged dog all the while. When she finally managed to wrangle him into submission, straddling him while pinning him with her arm pressed into his throat, the hypnosis had lapse. She brought her face close to his. Her grin bordered on lunacy.

"You want to play this game, do ya? Okay then…"

Their motive had switched from deciphering the genjutsu to making each other do the most ridiculous things possible, and Naruto soon regretted provoking Sakura, because her ideas were far more satanic than any he could ever think up. "Pull your socks off with your teeth, _please_! Go walk down the street on your hands, _please_! Try and drink this glass of water standing on your head, _please_!" By the time Naruto was crawling up the steps to his apartment after jumping out of the window at Sakura's command, he was breathing hard and wallowing in regret.

"Okay, Sakura, I'm sorry! No more!" he whined as he dragged himself through the threshold of the door. She could have told him to beg for forgiveness and kiss her boots, and he would do it without her even saying "please." She towered over him, arms crossed and the picture of triumph.

"Ah-ah-ah. I have one more command for you, Naruto." He let out a whimper and grabbed onto her boot with tears streaming down his whiskered cheeks.

"Please… Have mercy…" he pleaded as she squatted down in front of him. Her smirk sent shivers down his spine.

"Tell me your deepest, darkest secrets, _please_." Mercy, it seemed, was not in Sakura's vocabulary. The words began to tumble from his mouth like an avalanche.

"One time, Iruka-sensei almost caught me with a dirty magazine and I panicked and shoved it in Kiba's desk and he got in trouble for it even though it was mine and he still doesn't know I was the one who hid it there. This other time when I was staying in a hotel with Jiraiya-sensei I broke a vase and I just kind of stuck it back together and I dunno if anyone ever found out about it. Then this other time-" Naruto continued rattling off his secrets, mostly pranks and attempts of hiding stupid decisions, until finally he sputtered, "- and I'm pretty sure I'm in love with Hinata but I'm honestly not sure what to do about it because I'm pretty dumb when it comes to that, y'know?"

The last one came as a shock even to him. He knew he has always liked Hinata- maybe not in a romantic sense at first, but he did like her; she was sweet, and humble, and pretty, and encouraging… Naruto's cheeks flushed with both embarrassment and breathlessness as he stared uncomfortably up at the woman who had yanked the confession out of him. Sakura's eyes had widened, and she was just staring at him. "S-Say something, okay!"

"Wow," she breathed as she fell back into a sitting position, putting a hand up to her mouth as she considered the weighty reveal. "I had no idea, Naruto."

"Yeah, well, me either. Guess we both know now," he huffed as he pushed himself up. They now sat across from one another, cross-legged and pink-faced. "… So… What should I do, Sakura?" The playful mood had evaporated. Naruto wanted to get serious now. The cat was out of the bag, so he might as well get some advice from the one person who understood love better than anyone else. Sakura clicked her tongue as she leaned back a little, her head tilted upwards as she pondered how to explain the predicament.

"Well, Naruto, have you ever just considered telling her how you feel?"

"Sakura, I'm dumb, okay? Until ten seconds ago I didn't even know what I had was a crush. Plus, y'know, I'm not good with words all the time. I'm afraid I'll sound stupid."

"Good point," she laughed dryly and looked at him with a soft smile. "You know that Hinata loves you, right?" Naruto knew that, or at least he thought he did. She had said something of the sort during his battle with Pain, but he was a little delirious from blood loss and had gone berserk immediately after. He was never really sure what had really happened that day so he had ignored it. It was probably a stupid decision on his part, in hindsight. His confusion on the matter must have shown in his face, because Sakura exhaled deeply. "Naruto, Hinata is definitely in love with you, so at least you won't have to face the possibility of rejection. Hinata already confessed to you once, and that took a lot of strength. I'm not sure it'll happen again, so you should probably be the one to approach her."

"Yeah…"

"Just say what you feel, Naruto. Honesty is what matters." That made sense. Sakura had always been honest with Sasuke, even if he had rejected her at first, and it had worked out for her in the end. Feeling better about the situation, he flashed her a bright smile.

"Yeah! Thanks, Sakura! I'm gonna tell Hinata how I feel, believe it!" He pumped his fists a little, feeling energized. Sakura giggled and leaned over to take the paper with the incantation on it. Naruto jumped as she suddenly slapped her forehead and groaned loudly. "What? What is it?"

"I'm so dumb!" she sighed and crumpled up the sheet of paper to toss it Naruto's wastebasket. Naruto must have been even dumber because he had no idea of the revelation she had stumbled upon. "How could we have not thought to say the words again and see if the jutsu breaks?" As soon as she said it, Naruto slammed his head into the floor as the weight of their combined idiocy struck him. _Of course _it had been that simple! Sakura had overthought it and Naruto really hadn't been thinking at all in the first place, so naturally something so simple flew right over their heads. Sakura quickly recited the incantation and then timidly said, "Okay, Naruto, raise your right hand, please." The young man held his breath as he waited for his body to spontaneously react… but he was not compelled in the slightest.

"It worked!" he cheered and flung _both _of his hands into the air. Sakura breathed a sigh and held her feet as she leaned back, her shoulder joints popping as she rolled them, as if she had been relieved of a great weight. Naruto gazed at her, and then began to snicker uncontrollably. She gave him a quizzical look. "Tonight was fun, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was," she agreed with a serene smile. She glanced out of the window, where the starry night sky glistened beyond the thin pane of glass. "It's gotten late."

"Ya want me to walk you home?"

"Actually, I was thinking I could stay. We don't always get time to talk like this since you go on so many missions, Mr. World Savior," she responded with a wink. Naruto was surprised, but not unpleasantly. He grinned widely and scooched a bit closer to Sakura with that radiant smile still plastered on his face.

"Okay! Let's talk, then!"

Thus, he and Sakura talked deep into the night about all manners of things. They reminisced of memories and contemplated the future; their emotions rolled between happiness and sadness and everything in between. They both collapsed in a mess of blankets and pillows on Naruto's floor just as the sun was creeping above the horizon to paint the indigo sky in shades of gold. The sunlight streamed into the room to bathe the two lifelong friends in its warmth, the light catching on the smiles still ghosting their lips as they basked in dreams of days gone and yet to come…


	17. Winter's Embrace

Category: Mild Romantic Fluff

Characters: Sarada Uchiha, Shikadai Nara

Requested By: Anonymous User

Sarada's ragged, panting breath fogged before her face as she tilted her head upwards to look up at the heavens. The quintessential winter sky was painted above her head, smudges of every shade of gray blurred together in one puffy cloudy mass. Every so often the clouds would shift just so to allow a beam of sunlight to pass through and shoot down to earth like a glowing comet trail; it would pierce the pillow of snow like a spear, illuminating the powdery stuff in a small circle of golden brilliance. The wind was still, only murmuring every so often to excitedly rattle the naked branches of the trees encircling her. Really, it was a perfect winter day.

A perfect winter day for training, that is.

"All right! Once more!" Sarada cried as she stood up and aligned the kunai knives in the gaps of her fingers. Eight knives, eight targets, all hidden behind trunks and rocks and branches and thus invisible to her naked eye… But she didn't rely on her naked eye. With a burst of chakra to her eyes, she activated her Sharingan, and the red and black arrangement of her visual jutsu replaced her dark black pupils. With a grunt, she vaulted herself into a backwards somersault, carrying herself further than a normal human by rocketing herself from the ground with another burst of chakra. Using her visual prowess, she released the kunai one by one, then rapidly plucked some shuriken from her pouch to toss them into the flying projectiles and alter their trajectory at the key moments. One by one, she heard the kunai thunk into the hidden targets. She landed lightly in the snow with a confident smirk. "All right! I've still got it!" she crowed while pumping her fist in the air. Though she had mastered her shuriken jutsu quite some time ago, she made sure to practice it every day, because it was a very important skill for an Uchiha to have.

Sarada once more turned her gaze heavenward. The light was beginning to fade from the gray expanse, turning a burnt umber amongst the darkening ashy color. _The sun is going down. I should head home, _she reasoned. Her mother would worry if she stayed out too late training, because it was so cold. She had even made Sarada bundle up in a scarf and a bulky overcoat to stave off the winter chill, though Sarada had argued that the articles would interfere with her agility.

"Ninja aren't immune to the elements!" she had scolded her. "It'll be good training, anyway, to be able to maneuver in these clothes!" Sarada had accepted the decision to her face, but as soon as she had arrived at the training grounds, she had stripped off the scarf and coat to train in only her winter ninja gear. She would've sweated out her body weight wearing the silly garments, anyhow.

As the sunlight rapidly dimmed from the earth, Sarada set to retrieving her ninja tools from the targets, starting with the least difficult scattered in various low-lying places to those high up in the naked canopy. She had retrieved seven out of the eight before she made her way to the last; it was far up in the boughs of a massive tree, on the side facing away from the small clearing tucked into the nestle between two thick branches. _Now'll be a good time to practice climbing with my chakra, too! _She thought with a snicker and poured some chakra into the soles of her feet before walking up the side of the tree. She made it up to the boughs with little problem and clambered into the branches, crouching there and wrapping her hand around the handle. She gave it a tug and frowned deeply when the knife did not simply pop loose as it should. She tugged a bit harder and wiggled it about, but only succeeded in vigorously shaking the target about. The kunai was good and stuck. Sarada thought it would be wasteful to simply leave it there. With a determined scowl, she wrapped both her hands around the hilt and jerked backwards.

The knife came loose; however, Sarada had used much more force than necessary, and so her momentum yanked her backwards into the open air. Sarada screamed and groped for a handhold, but her fingers only met empty air. Her fearful shriek was ripped away by the wind, and in addition to stealing her voice it also tried to rip out her black hair with greedy fingers. Sarada could barely see the rapidly retreating spindly branches through her hair slapping into her face. She landed roughly in the snow piled up among its roots; though it provided some cushion for most of her body, her right foot slammed against a hidden root. She opened her mouth to scream again as tendrils of fiery pain shot through the nerves of her leg, but the snow flooded into her mouth and muffled the sound. For a moment, she lay immobile amongst the frozen water molecules, trembling from both the rapid onset of chill and the contrasting flaming pain traveling up her leg from her very injured ankle. After a few moments, she tenderly eased herself up into a sitting position.

"Owww!" she cried aloud immediately. Even moving the rest of her body jarred her ankle just so, sending fresh waves of pain through her already overstimulated nervous system. She whimpered and leaned over, her bare hands fluttering over the tender skin of her ankle but too afraid to touch it and manipulate the bones to see if it was broken. She decided against it. _There's no way I can walk like this! _She could barely move a muscle without is spasming, let alone try to get up and limp. Though she had only just landed in the snow, she was already beginning to shiver. Every shudder of her body increased her pain, and she felt stinging tears form in the corners of her eyes. With great dismay she looked across the clearing where her jacket and scarf where folded up on an icy rock. _I should've kept them on… It's so cold…_

It didn't take knowledge of medical jutsu to know that Sarada wouldn't last long huddling in the snow. Though it was the last thing she wanted to do, she had to try and force herself to crawl across the clearing to retrieve her winter clothes. She took a moment, breathing in and out deeply, to steel herself before attempting to flip onto her belly. It was working pretty fine until her foot slipped off the icy root and slammed down onto the ground, hardened by the cold and unforgiving. The tears rolled down her cheeks as she once more released a pitiful scream into the wind. Only the trees could hear her, and they seemed not to care.

Whimpering, Sarada buried her head into the snow. She watched as the fluffy particles smeared across the lenses of her glasses. "I can't… I can't do it…" she sobbed miserably. It just hurt so much, like someone was forcibly holding her foot in lava to watch it melt and burn away. It was even scarier because no one knew where to look for her. She had told her mother she was going to train but had neglected to inform her of which training ground, and there were countless plots of them across the massive village. Even she had known, by the time her mother would know to look for her, she would probably be a freezing blue corpse. Sarada let out another terrified whine, and the salty hot tears rolling out from behind her glasses melted into the chilly snow. _I can't just lay here and die, _she insisted with a sniff. Pushing herself up with her elbows, she shook the snow from her numbing and pale face and looked back across the clearing. Her renewed determination vanished. "It's so far away…" she whispered. Still, she had to try. Grunting, she dug her fingers as much as she could into the rock-hard earth and pulled herself forward.

As she dragged her body half a foot forward, her mouth released another agonized scream. Her upper arms were shaking from just the exertion of hauling her entire body weight forward as well as the biting cold, and gave out on her almost immediately. She jerked as her face flopped into the snow again, and she turned her face to the side to take a few raspy breaths. "Okay, Sarada. Again!" Another pull, another scream, another face full of snow. Sarada continued to labor in her attempts, and the world was none the supportive. She had only made it a yard or so by the time all warmth had vacated the planet, and the cold pale moon cast its freezing light onto her struggles. Her skin was deathly white now and she was shuddering so hard that her teeth clattered in her jaw. All she could see was the foggy whiteness of her breath clouding her glasses. _I must be close, _she reasoned as she raised a violently trembling hand to wipe the mist from her lenses.

She wished she hadn't.

She choked out a sad, miserable sob. She was still so far away. The clothes seemed to mocking her, absorbing the moon's light to glow in an almost ephemeral manner. Her eyelids drooped as she very quickly became drowsy. It didn't take a genius to know that was a deadly sign. Silently spurring herself on because she was trembling so much that if she tried to speak she would surely bite her tongue, she tried pulling herself forward again. Her fingers had long since gone numb and starting turning blue, and she couldn't feel the ground anymore. Her hands loosely scrabbled about in the bottom layer of the snow for a few seconds before she abandoned the effort. With the last dregs of her strength, she managed to turn onto her side and curl into a ball as much as her screeching ankle (which had refused to go numb) and tuck her extremities against her core in a pitiful attempt to warm them.

_Mom… Dad… I'm so cold… _she thought. The edges of her vision were beginning to turn black. _Am I… Am I going to die? I'm so scared…! I had so much I wanted to do…! _Her chest heaved with another sob, but her tears had frozen to her cheeks. _I can't… I'm so cold… I'm so tired… I'll just… close my eyes and rest a while… And try again in a little bit… _she thought wearily as her mind began to fog like her breath had been for what seemed like hours now. Her vision flickered and darkened as her eyelids began drifting closed. Was someone calling her name? Or was it the wind howling a lament for her life, snuffed out like a candle's flame once it was no longer needed? It sounded like the former… But who's voice? Was someone looking for her after all? She tried to call out, but it seemed like her vocal cords had frozen into taut strings in her throat. She could just go to sleep and they would find her, surely…

"_**Sarada**_!" Her eyes snapped open as her shoulders were shaken vigorously. Her vocal cords weren't frozen after all, because she was able to release a deafening, tormented scream. Her frozen hands flew to her ankle to wrap around it, but that was a mistake too, as pain bloomed over her swollen skin. She had her eyes closed from the agony and so was unable to see who had jerked her awake. Her own scream was still ringing in her ears, so she was unable to really make out who it was. "Sarada? Can you hear me?" It sounded like… like…

"Shika… dai?" she managed to wheeze. Her tongue felt like a block of lead in her mouth.

"Jeez, what kind of a drag have you gotten yourself into?" he scolded as she cracked an eye open. She sword that a few ice crystals cracked and fell from her lashes. His blue eyes were narrowed at her as he stared down at her worriedly. He reached out and touched the back of his gloved hand to her cheek. "You're so cold I can even feel it! How long have you been out here?!" Sarada couldn't help but whine as he took his hand back, because she had so appreciated the warmth of the soft fabric against her chilly skin. She watched weakly as he shrugged out of his jacket, tossing it aside in the snow for a moment to grab her and pull her up into a sitting position. She gasped pathetically as her ankle tweaked in protest. He grabbed the jacket and put it around her. Sarada was shuddering too badly and too cold to move her muscles voluntarily, so he grabbed her arms and forced them through the sleeves. She thought he was going to stop there, but then he did something that rattled even her frozen brain.

He sat himself down in the snow with his legs stuck out on either side of her and then grabbed her by her waist to awkwardly and gingerly pull her into his lap. He put his hands on the back of either of her knees to wrap her legs around his middle, taking extra care with her injured leg. It still hurt like hell, though; she couldn't even process what he was doing for a few seconds as the pain made her vision burn white; she just grabbed him tightly by the shoulders and buried her face into the crook of his neck, smearing her tears across it as she gritted her teeth so hard she thought they could shatter. Once she was aware of what he had done, however, she puffed out, "What… are you… doing?"

"Aunt Ino said they best way to warm up a hypothermic person is with your body heat… Warming them up too fast can put them into shock…" he mumbled into her hair. It must've been threaded with ice crystals, because she could feel his breath alone melting them and sending the wet droplets sliding down her scalp. It was mortifyingly embarrassing to literally be sitting in his lap but she righteously didn't care because damn, it felt so good. She could feel the warmth returning to her body as he wound his arms around her waist and pulled her shivering body flush to his. She was sure he was blushing head-to-toe, making him all the warmer. Sarada was too chilled to even have the capability to blush, or so she thought, because the first things she could feel again was her cheeks. Silence hung awkwardly in the air. Sarada pulled her face away from his neck to see that small snowflakes had begun to rain down from the sky. "… When you didn't come back, your mom went frantic… She has us all out looking for you, y'know…"

"How did you… know where to find me?" The strength was returning to her voice, making it to where she didn't have to force her words as much.

"You always come to practice your shuriken jutsu here." Sarada felt a flickering heat pervade her face. Even Boruto and Mitsuki didn't know her that well; this was her secret training spot, or so she had thought. "I came here to practice my shadow possession technique one time and you were here, and almost every time you came back, you were here… Doesn't take a genius to pick up on the trend."

"Oh." She felt sensation return to her fingers again, and she flexed them experimentally. She could feel everything and her muscles seemed to work fine, so hopefully she didn't have any frostbite. She looked at her hand for a second, and then, nervously, tenderly, she twisted them into the fabric of the back of Shikdai's shirt. "Shikadai… You… You saved me…" she whispered hoarsely.

"Yeah. It was kind of a drag, y'know. I can't have you dyin' on me, Sarada." Her eyes widened slightly at the level of fear and conviction she traced in the normally apathetic boy's words. She wasn't quite sure what expression she wanted to form on her face; some weird blend between a smile and a nervous frown. Shikadai was her friend, of course, but she had never really considered the possibility of something more between them…

Until now. Sometimes a near-death experience could do that to a person, she supposed. Unsure how to handle the pounding of her frantic heart and the implications of it all, she just settled for burying her face back into his neck rather than embarrassing herself by saying anything. She felt his chest heave with a large sigh, and he raised a hand to brush a few snowflakes from her midnight black hair. "You've stopped shivering. Are you all right now?"

"Yeah… But I can't walk…"

"That's fine." With the same care he had taken with wrapping her leg around him, he wriggled out from underneath her and shifted her body such that he could lift her up, carrying her bridal-style. She flushed and wrapped her arms around his neck. She could finally get a good look at him and found that he was avoiding looking at her, his cheeks flushed a rich shade of carnation. She was sure she looked no different. "Um, let's get you back to your mom so she can take care of your ankle…" he muttered.

"Thank you, Shikadai," she whispered. Maybe the warmth had emboldened her, but she leaned up to press a kiss into his cheeks. She could feel the heat that blossomed with her affectionate gesture, spreading out in a circle from the point where her puckered lips met his skin. He stuttered some nonsense for a few seconds before looking at her, blue eyes wide with a multitude of feelings. Sarada just flashed him a grin, and his shoulders sagged as he gave her a bemused smile.

"And my dad always said women were a drag…" he laughed dryly.

"Stick around long enough and you'll probably find that to be true," she teased while sticking out her tongue at him. He snorted in derision and set off through the training grounds to bear her home. Thoroughly warmed now, Sarada closed her eyes and leaned her head into his shoulder.

_I wonder if this is what Mom felt like… the first time she realized how she felt about Dad… _she thought with a contented hum. Tired from the stress of the day, Sarada once more felt herself drifting off to sleep, but a peaceful sleep, safe in the arms of the Nara boy who had sneakily managed to capture her young heart…


	18. We Could Be In Love

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Shikamaru Nara, Sakura Haruno

_Hello, everyone! This is my piece for ShikaSaku Week Hanami's Day One prompt, "Dawn (We Celebrate Our Victories)." I hope everyone enjoys it~_

Sakura's breath was coming in small, ragged gasps as she hobbled unsteadily out of the medical tent. Leaning on the wooden pole that braced the large cloth structure, she peered through cringing eyes at the dark silhouette of the tree-line stretching in a circle around the medical camp; the black surface was becoming tinged with yellow-gray as the sun began to poke its burning head above the canopy to grace the world with dawn. Unknowingly, the medical ninja had worked through the night; it couldn't be helped. After all, the Fourth Shinobi World War had produced countless injured, ranging from minor to critical.

After the sealing of Kaguya and the long-awaited resolution between Naruto and Sasuke that resulted in the dissipation of her genjutsu, all of the Allied Forces had congregated in the medical encampment in the woods far from the battlefield. It was swelled to max capacity, and of course the ratio of medical ninja to injured shinobi was helplessly skewed. For the last twenty-four hours, Sakura had been running from tent to tent overseeing the operations and lending aid where she could, especially for the most critical cases, such as Lady Tsunade, who had spent all of her power in the fight against Madara, and the two boys, whose lives were still in danger due to the beating they had put on each other. It had been a long, hard day, but Sakura could not rest yet.

"There's still… More I can do," she huffed through gritted teeth. She pushed herself off of the small pole only to stumble unsteadily a few feet in a semicircle, not even moving forward an inch. Her vision hazed with exhaustion and she reflexively reached out an arm, though she wasn't quite sure what she was reaching for. A foggy dark shape pranced in her vision. It looked like someone she knew, but with her mind in clouds, she couldn't think of who. The figure grabbed her arm at the elbow, firmly, keeping her from tipping backwards and falling gracelessly through the flaps of the medical tent.

"I think that's enough helping for you. God, Sakura, when is the last time you've slept?" The corners of her mouth tugged upward in a pitiful attempt at a smile. With the heels of her boots planted in the ground and him holding her up, she was pretty much suspended like a puppet, and the energy that her muscles had been using diverted back to her mind; her vision cleared enough to reveal a familiar visage- bored expression, one hand in his pocket while the other rubbed at his neck, angled eyes and a high ponytail holding up his dark hair- Shikamaru Nara.

"Hey," came her garbled, tired reply. God, she couldn't think of anything better to say to him than "hey"? She really _was_ out of it. Snorting in derision, he jerked her forward such that she fell clumsily against his chest. As she bounced back a little, he fixed firm hands on her shoulders, black eyes piercing into her own lidded spring-green ones.

"You're a mess."

"That's no way to talk to a lady, Shikamaru." If she wasn't using every ounce of her energy to hold herself up, she would've socked him. Although, Sakura doubted she could put a thousandth of her lethal force into it if she did. It felt like her entire body was being weighed down by chunks of iron; her knees wobbled so precariously that they repeatedly knocked together. As if to warn her against trying anything stupid, a bolt of fiery pain rocketed up one of her legs, disbalancing her and causing her to slump against him. "Nnngh…"

"Ugh, why are girls such a pain?" Shikamaru muttered under his breath and rolled his eyes. She had her eyes closed now, the pain too much, and was just concentrating on getting oxygen into her system. With every strained breath, she caught hints of Shikamaru's aroma- a mixture of sweat, pine trees, and morning dew that was somehow not unpleasant. _I must be going delirious if I'm thinking about how nice he smells, _she thought with a small groan. "You can't even walk, can you?" Somehow, she managed to shake her head. "What a drag." She could only grunt as he stooped down to loop one arm under her knees and the other around her upper back. Her head lolled over his shoulder as he effortlessly lifted her from the ground, her breath puffing in labored gasps against his neck. "You can't push yourself like this, you know."

"Did I… ask your opinion?" It meant to come out savage, but instead, she sounded reminiscent of a kicked puppy. Her fingers curled tightly into the fabric of his green vest in a display of frustration, though if anyone say them, they would dare it was an intimate action. She cracked one eye open to peer up at him; a pang of guilt twisted into her heart as she saw the almost hurt expression on his face. It instantly switched back to that disinterested frown, and he tossed his gaze somewhere else, acting as if her attitude didn't affect him in the slightly. "Ah… I'm sorry…" she grumbled in apology. He was only acting in her best interest, after all. Her stubbornness and pride were unwarranted.

He was still staring somewhere off to his right, but she was relieved to see the corner of his mouth inch up into a wry smirk.

"All you girls… Way to tough for your own good, y'know. It's okay for you to worry about yourselves every once in a while." Sakura only hummed in response. His shoulder almost seemed to embrace her the way a pillow would, and the gentle heat that was radiating from his body was lulling. The way his body moved as he walked almost was rocking her to sleep. She shifted in his arms, instinctively sliding one arm to hook it around his neck. She felt his body stiffen at the gesture, but she didn't care. She was so comfortable… If she had to describe the feeling she felt while being held in his arms, it was… safe and cherished. Sakura was no fool. He had to have been watching her all night, refusing to sleep waiting for her imminent collapse. For Shikamaru to deprive himself of sleep was, well… Nothing short of pure concern.

"You were really worried about me, huh?" she said teasingly. Through the gaps in her eyelashes, she could see a blaze of pink rush over his cheeks, though he would've argued it was the dawn washing over his face. "When's the last time _you've_ slept, Shikamaru?"

"Got your cockiness back, huh? I preferred you nearly unconscious," he muttered. Sakura giggled and snuggled further into his neck, making his muscles tense tighter than a string drawn taut. Maybe it was because she was delirious from exhaustion, but she was enjoying this; she almost fancied the idea that she could love him. Sakura liked to fool herself that she still loved Sasuke, and maybe those feelings could resurface if he ever reciprocated… But she had buried those hopeless endeavors a long time ago. Did Shikamaru think that she hadn't noticed? The way his gaze drew to her when they were near each other? The happenstance "bumping-into-each-other" that always seemed to lead to him walking her home? She wondered, if in his Infinite Tsukuyomi dream, he had envisioned her. All of this was delirious fever but also dangerously close to reality; all these thoughts she tossed around in her mind as he bore her across the encampment towards the faraway individual tents. At some point during her feverish contemplations, she had begun twisting her fingers into the thick hair on the back of his neck, tugging a few long strands from his ponytail to play with them. "Are you even awake right now?"

"I'm awake," she yawned into his shoulder padding. He inhaled deeply, then exhaled with just as much wearied force. She had been staring at his face the whole time, watching his expressions shift, but as the light glinted in the corners of her eyes, she shifted her vision to the bubbling sun rising over the tops of the trees. Around it, the colors of dawn spread out in a halo, white merging into yellow into orange then pink then red, with the faintest fringes of the dark blue of night desperately trying to cling to life. "It's beautiful, don't you think?" she murmured.

"Sure is." She looked back to him, and it was his turn to blush, for he wasn't looking at the sunrise at all. His gaze was trained on her, accented by a soft smile that sent her heart to palpitating in her chest. Yes, she really could love him.

"Shika-"

She was interrupted by the harsh flapping of a tent being thrown open. The dawn was absorbed by the dark fabric, leaving the interior of the tent in golden gloom. Shikamaru squatted down, holding her with one arm while he used the other to throw back the blankets arranged messily on the ground. It all happened so quickly that Sakura didn't have much time to process the shift in environment, so she just stared stupidly at the blankets like she had no idea what to do with them. She gasped, just a feather of a breath, as he gently lowered her down into them, then covered her up with one quick flourish.

"Go to sleep," he ordered. The shadows fell over his face in such a way that it was difficult to tell how he was looking at her. He looked away for a moment, rubbing at the back of his neck and looking as if he wanted to say something-

But then he stiffly rose and went to exit the tent. At that point, Sakura was running on adrenaline, so she was going to do as she damn well pleased, any little whim that popped into her frazzled mind.

"Wait!" she shouted and sprung at his back. He cried out in alarm as her arms hooked over his shoulders, and he was pulled down onto his rump by her weight. He fell back with a grunt, with Sakura's upper half splayed over his left arm while her lower body curled around his head. "Sakura, what the he-" She interrupted him by turning to kiss him full on the mouth, messily and with much passion. He went as rigid as stone as she did, and his hands hung in the empty air like he didn't know quite what to do with them. It was then that Sakura's consciousness finally began to fade for real, and her lips slid slowly from his as her head slumped down into his neck.

"Stay with me," she whispered into his throat. The hands that had been frozen twitched into life, slowly descending to thread in her messy, crimped strands of cherry blossom-pink hair. The darkness was encroaching on her vision as her eyes slowly pulled closed, and she struggled to hang on to the waking world, loving the sensation of his fingers sliding across her scalp.

"Say stuff like that, and I might fall in love with you for real, you know. What a drag…" Those words, so soft and tender breathed into her ear, accompanied her into the world of sweet dreams.


	19. Galaxia de Primavera

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Shikamaru Nara, Sakura Haruno

_Hi, everyone! Here's the story for Day Two of ShikaSaku Week Hanami, prompt "Of Stardust and Galaxies!" Please enjoy~_

If spring were a galaxy, it would exist in her eyes; the pale green of new life blooming into existence, planets of new leaf shoots and stardust of swirling white petals, cosmic waves of rippling grasses and starlight filtering in with beams of white… They were a universe of themselves, those spring-green irises of hers, and he always felt like a wayward astronaut spiraling further and further into their endless depths anytime they locked onto his own. They had so much gravity that he couldn't help but be drawn in; she pulled him into orbit without even realizing it, into a spring galaxy of stardust green where he could spend his entire life in contentment. Such raw power did the eyes of Sakura Haruno hold.

Not that Shikamaru ever told her anything like that. It was all poetic and shit in theory, but he would make a bungle of things if he ever tried to formulate something like that into actual words. Instead, he just hovered just outside her solar system, a dying star in desperate need of gratification but too unwilling to do much of anything about it. How long had he been in love with her now? Since before the Great Ninja War, surely, and it was going on a year after that debacle. He could never bring himself to be honest with her about what he was feeling. Truthfully, he himself didn't even know how to describe what exactly he was feeling; it hurt to look at her but he never wanted her out of his sight, he both feared and revered her insurmountable, goddess-like strength, the sweet smiles she tossed him on the street both made him feel like he was walking on air and like he had been stabbed right through the heart with a rusty serrated knife. He had always known women had been a drag, but he never would've thought that falling in love with one could be as massive a drag as this. Cheek leaned into the palm of his hand, he watched her through the barbecue joint window as she sat in a café across the street, munching on some sweet dango with more delicacy than would be thought of the tomboyish girl.

"Hey, Earth to Shikamaru." He grimaced as Ino knocked on the side of his head, and his dark eyes flickered to meet her own baby-blue ones with a gruff "What?" "What do you mean, 'what?' If you want to go talk to Sakura, would you just do it already? Your pining really makes barbecue nights kind of a drag," she sniffed haughtily as she crossed her slim arms over her chest. A blush bloomed from the base of his neck to the tops of his ears; he hadn't even noticed he had been staring at Sakura this entire time.

"I'm not pining," he muttered under his breath, tearing his face away from the window to instead stare down at the smoldering coals above which Choji was eagerly searing his cuts of steak. Shikamaru glanced up as the burly man's chopsticks appeared in his line of vision to flip the half-cooked meat over.

"Shikamaru, it's kinda obvious." So, his best friend wouldn't cut him any slack either. With a soft "mmmh!" Choji pushed a few juice-covered nibblets of meat into his mouth. "Y'know, you can't wait around forever. Sooner or later she'll be snatched up by somebody else, and how would you feel then? I'm sure you'd regret never saying anything."

"He's exactly right!" Ino shouted, banging her fist loudly on the table. The salt and pepper shakers jumped into the air at her assault, and Shikamaru reflexively reached out to grab them before they spilled their contents all over the place. Cleaning all that up would be a drag, and they gave the busboy enough trouble with all the plates and cups they always accumulated. Ino waggled her finger in his face as he set them down a safe distance away from her boisterousness. "Y'know what Sakura told me? She's not even sure if she's in love with Sasuke anymore! Now's your perfect chance to slide in and make her yours!"

Despite himself, a tiny ember of hope flared to life in his chest. Sakura had been in love with Sasuke since they were little kids playing ninja in the Academy and had still loved him even after all the crap he had pulled. To hear that her feelings could be waning, even just a little, could mean that Shikamaru had a shot… But did Shikamaru really have a chance against Sasuke? Not that he put the guy up on a pedestal like everyone else did, but there was something to be said about how fiercely and unequivocally girls loved. It wasn't as easy as sidling up to her and announcing "Hey, be in love with me instead of that jerk!" With a low groan, he slumped down in the booth and side-eyed his pretty teammate.

"Ino, I don't think this is as easy as you make it out to be. It sounds like a massive drag to me."

"Shikamaru, you need to be more of a go-getter! You'll never be Naruto's advisor if you can't even work up the nerve to ask a girl out!" she scolded him hotly, and Shikamaru's grimace deepened. Way for her to him it where it hurt. With a snort, she suddenly leaned her entire upper body over him to try and fiddle with the window.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" he cried and shimmied further down the booth seat, so far that his back was pressed down against the seat, because Ino's _endowments_ were just bouncing all in his face. He tried to focus on her face, blush raging even fiercer than before, right as she unlatched the window and pushed it open. "There! Now, go get her, tiger!" she giggled.

Shikamaru released a sound somewhere between a choke and a squeak as she grabbed him by the collar of his issued uniform vest, wrenched him up the booth seat, and promptly threw him out of the window. Ino had a lot of force to back herself up too, but not nearly as much as Sakura; he coughed painfully as his stomach crashed down against the windowpane, digging harshly into his skin and making him feel nauseous. Before he could recover, her high-heeled foot met his backside and pushed him all the way through the window. He landed on the dusty ground in a crumpled heap, eye twitching excessively as he tried to refrain from jumping up and socking her, female or not. "What a drag," he grumbled as he righted himself so he was sitting cross-legged under the window, rubbing the area of his neck that was now pulsing with a dull pain. By happenstance, he happened to glance across the street where Sakura was still sitting on the bench enjoying her dango, and froze.

Those spring green eyes of hers were closed, scrunched up with laughter that she was hiding with a hand lightly hovering in front of her mouth. The dango wobbled a little in her other hand from how hard her shoulders were shaking. Shikamaru smiled in embarrassment. Man, Ino just had to make him go and look so uncool… But, it was always good to make girls laugh, right? He craned his head back just in time to see the window click closed. Ino was serious. "What a drag," he sighed once more before picking himself up and brushing himself off. Slipping his hands into his pants pockets, he strolled casually across the street to stand in front of Sakura.

"Hehehe," she continued to giggle lightheartedly, "did you and Ino have a disagreement?"

"Something like that," he answered with a lop-sided smirk. Her thick lashes parted, and those orbs of brilliant green peeked out at him like twin suns appearing over the horizon, and his heart instantly twisted in his chest. God, was it possible for eyes to be that gorgeous? With a thick swallow, he tugged at his wire-mesh undershirt, suddenly hot. "A-Anyway… It's a little late for you to be out by yourself, don't you think?" he stammered in a desperate attempt to keep the conversation at least a little natural. She cocked her head slightly as she bit down on the end of the dumplings, the soft flesh of it yielding to her teeth.

"I suppose it is. I lost track of time." She plucked the last colored dumpling from the stick before tossing the sharp skewer into the pile she had accumulated beside her. "I was just thinking about things, y'know?" Her smile was so pure and innocent. It was hard to believe sometimes that it concealed such a cunning and clever mind. He liked that about her, though. He much preferred an intelligent, capable woman to a total airhead. His body stiffened slightly as she abruptly stood up to peer up at him, body curving and eyelashes fluttering with just the faintest sense of demure. "Care to walk a girl home?"

Those eyes again. Shining ethereally in the starlight, the stunning pale green of lichens clinging to hardy oaken trees accented by the emerald of its stubborn leaves. All it took was one simple glance and Shikmaru was locked into their gravity; no amount of attempting to pull away would yield his escape. He would simply have to suffer through her atmosphere and crash-land somewhere, though he knew not where yet. A blush sprinkled like stardust over his cheeks.

"Yeah… Sure."

* * *

The night was filled only by the scuffing of their sandals against the dirt road. Sakura strolled alongside him with her hands clasped behind her back, while Shikamaru's were buried deep into his pockets. The silence was suspended between them like the crescent moon hanging low in the night sky; the tension strummed in tune with the twinkling of the thousands of stars, their brilliant light muted by the village lights. Shikamaru mused on whether or not if they were far away, in the wilderness where no man-made light could mask them, the stars above would even come close to the galaxy held within those eyes of hers. He figured not. Gradually, his gaze shifted from the path in front of him to her, those miraculously beautiful eyes and the way they caught the starlight just right to shine with springtime's brilliance.

"So… I heard something interesting from Ino."

"What's that?" Her cherry-blossom hair bounced around her chin as she turned inquisitively toward him. He scowled and pawed at the back of his neck again. The question he was about to ask was so personal and awkward; did he really have the right to be prying? Then again, if he turned back up at the barbecue place empty-handed, Ino was liable to whale on him. It was simple self-preservation… right?

"Well, uh… She kinda mentioned that, uh… You didn't have feelings for Sasuke anymore."

"Oh." A shiver crawled up his spine at the even tone of her voice. Was she gonna whale on him instead? Shikamaru didn't know if he could take one of Sakura's punches; it was only thanks to Naruto's impossibly thick skull that he survived his frequent whackings. Sakura's fists did not curl, nor did she make any indication that she was angry. She stopped walking, gaze falling to her feet, which shifted as her knees turned in a little. "I've been thinking about it… For a long time, but even more recently since he's been gone for so very long," she sighed wistfully. Those green irises danced around in the sea of white, but never trained on him. "I think it's just finally sunk in, that's all. That it was always just a childish, one-sided crush." Shikamaru looked at her in concern. To hear her say it that way just sounded so sad, and even though she was smiling, that smile couldn't mask how much pain she was obviously in. He didn't know what to do though, because frankly, Shikamaru knew jack shit about girls, let alone comforting them. "Why do you mention it?" she asked with false cheer in her voice. She finally looked up at him. He jumped as those spring galaxies suddenly blazed against his own dark nebulas.

"Oh, uh, I was just, you know, wanting to make sure if you were okay about it. I mean, you've liked him for a really long time; it's not easy for girls to get over stuff like that, right?" he laughed nervously. Man, if he kept rubbing his neck like that, he was liable to leave a mark. She blinked as her pale pink eyebrows crept up her forehead; then, she laughed, sweetly and with feeling. It sounded like shrine bells in a gentle breeze, melodic and invigorating.

"Oh. That's sweet of you!" The silence drifted down between them again, like a curtain falling upon the closing act of a play. Shikamaru stood stiffly in the middle of the street, waiting for her to take up walking again, but she didn't. The tension stretched thinner and thinner, threatening to snap any moment. It made him sweat a little. "Oh, um, this is my house," she clarified with another anxious chuckle.

"Oh." _Duh, Shikamaru_, he thought begrudgingly. He ought to bid her goodnight and leave her to her devices. His feet had other plans, rooting him to the spot and keeping him there like an idiot. He just stood there, fingers nervously kneading into the seams of his pockets, while those green eyes of hers watched her with an emotion he dare not name, lest everything come crashing down in an asteroid storm around them. It looked like leaves were dancing in cosmic tempest in her eyes with how intently she watched him, face drawn low in an unreadable expression.

"Shikamaru? What are you thinking right now?" Her face remained stony, indecipherable. Shikamaru had no idea what was running through her mind right now. Did he need to? There had to be a reason she was still goofing off with him outside in the middle of the night, right? Shikamaru was dense with girls, but even he still recognized that this was a good of a chance for him to be honest as he was ever going to get.

"I was thinking… that if spring were a galaxy, it would be in your eyes." As soon as the words left his mouth, he turned red from head-to-toe and whirled around, bristling. His hands were clamped over his mouth to keep him from saying something else so incredibly _stupid_. That didn't even make any sense! Oh, she was probably laughing at him right now, but the blood was roaring so loudly in his ears that he couldn't hear the sniggers she was probably struggling to hold back. His ass should've just marched right on home. Why did he have to go and embarrass himself like this? He _never_ should've have let Ino get to him. _I've really done it now… _

Every muscle in his body petrified as her hand landed on his shoulder. His hands dropped from his mouth and his arms flopped loosely in his arms in defeat; he knew he was still wildly blushing, but he simply couldn't resist as her hand slowly trailed up to tug at his chin, beckoning for him to look at her. She was gonna be laughing, he just knew it. Compulsively, he squeezed his eyes shut…

And then he felt her lips, soft and light, brush over his own. It was a ghost of a comet trail at first, sprinkling of stardust to his nerves, but they soon sparked to life to spur his body into action. Drawn in by Sakura's gravitational pull, he melded his lips to hers. They were so perfectly pliable under his own, and the faint aroma of strawberry lip gloss wafting up his nose sent him blasting off into the stars. His mouth merely rested over her own in a chaste kiss, but Heaven and Hell, it had Shikamaru's head reeling. After a moment, he moved back, just barely. If he'd wanted to, he could kiss her again. His eyes snapped open at the realization of what had just transpired to see those eyes like a spring galaxy glimmering brighter than he had ever seen.

"Thanks for the compliment." Her cute little purr of approval had the blush creeping back to Shikamaru's ears again. God, did she know what she was doing to him? She totally did, because she stuck out the tip of her tongue at him with a teasing giggle. "Also, thanks for walking me home. See you around." She gave him one last peck on the cheek before she was gone, hopping up the steps to unlock her front door and disappear inside. He saw just one last flash of those eyes of hers, and even long after she was gone they burned in his mind like two suns of green fire.

It took a long time for the pleasurable high to wear off him; when it did, he realized he had wandered back over towards the barbecue joint. Ino and Choji had seemingly grown bored of waiting for him and were just walking out of the building.

"_There_ you are!" Ino called, and it was her voice that finally brought him out of his stupor. He ran a hand over his face, still lightly burning from flush, and wondered if what he had just witnessed was all but a fever dream. He then thought of those galactic springtime eyes and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips, where the faint scent of strawberry lingered.

No. Not a dream.

"Well, well?! What happened? Did you make your move?" she pestered as she scampered over to him to hug his arm and tug on it. "Tell me everything! Come on, come on!"

"Come on, Ino, don't bug him so much," Choji frowned from his other side. "He probably spent the whole time watchin' the clouds." Shikamaru tilted his head back to observe the thin, wispy gray clouds trawling over the night sky, blotting out the stars with their fluffy bodies. He smiled wryly.

"No… Not the clouds- the _stars_."


	20. Rest for the Weary

Category: Mild Romantic Fluff

Characters: Shikamaru Nara, Sakura Haruno

_What's up, everyone? Here's my third story for ShikaSaku Week Hanami for the prompt "Proud of You, Proud of Me." Enjoy!_

Shikamaru's eyelashes fluttered as some distorted mumblings of his name began to pulse in his ears. Slowly, very slowly, they became clearer; it was his name, all right. Groaning away the sleep that was so insistently trying to tug him back into the realm of dreams, he shifted on the mattress. Wait, since when were mattresses this hard and uncomfortable? He involuntarily flung his arm out and hissed when he banged his wrist against another hard surface. The electric shockwave of pain that propagated up from the jarred joint shot him fully into consciousness, and as he rolled onto his side clutching his burning wrist, he fell right off the edge of the bench he had passed out on to crash roughly against the dirt ground about a foot below.

"Sonofa- _owwwww_!" he whined loudly, not sure whether to clutch his still-stinging wrist or his now-pounding head. He froze when he heard a girl giggling above him. Right, somebody had been calling his name. Who-?

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Sakura teased when he cracked his eye open to look up at her. He was a little dazed from being awoken plus his short tumble, so it took him a minute to actually register the pink-haired, green-eyed kunoichi. "You okay?" As he snorted in derision, a puff of dust clouded in his face, making him cough and clamp his eyes shut. He sat up slowly; his joints were already stiff from sleeping on the hard bench, and his drop to the ground had only jerked them about. He tucked his injured wrist against his chest and rubbed the back of his neck with the other hand, sighing deeply. Of course Sakura would have to be the one to find him drooling on a random bench and watch him fall right off it.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good…"

"What are you doing sleeping on a bench?" Now, that was an excellent question. He frowned deeply as he tried to drag his recent memory from his sluggish mind. He had worked all day with Kakashi until well after sunset, finally stumbling out of the Hokage's office at about nine o' clock to try and walk home… He had gotten up extra early that morning to train, at about five in the morning. At some point the exhaustion had caught up to him and he had just plopped down on a bench, and that was that. What an embarrassing thing to admit to a girl. He neglected to reply, only grumbling under his breath and looking away. "Lemme guess- you've been pushing yourself too hard again, huh?"

Damn woman was too smart for her own good.

"You're one to talk. Lemme guess, you just now got out of the hospital even though your shift started at six this morning, right?" he countered grumpily. Sakura's lips pursed into a dour pout; looks like he had hit the nail right on the head.

"Well, they were a little short-handed, that's all," she huffed, jutting out her hip to primly rest her hand on it in a clear display of protest. Shikamaru just snorted and tucked his legs underneath him to sit cross-legged on the dirt road. It was way too much of a drag to climb back up onto the bench; the ground wasn't that uncomfortable, and he was always down there, anyway. He laced his fingers together behind his head and leaned back against the seat of the bench, lounging there like some kind of vagabond. He was going to give some snarky retort, but a yawned overpowered whatever snark was going to come out of his mouth. He squinted slightly at the power of it; it made a few tears well up in the corners of his eyes. With it came another thrall of drowsiness. He was more beat than he thought… "Shikamaru…"

His gaze flickered up to hers, eyes lidded. She didn't continue whatever she was going to say. She only stared down at him with a complicated expression, green eyes swimming with concern. Shikamaru figured it would be annoying that she was worrying over him so much when she was clearly running herself ragged too, but somehow he found it… refreshing. He quirked an eyebrow when she suddenly turned around to squat down beside him, easing herself down onto the ground with her legs neatly tucked underneath her. She didn't look at him, but craned her head back slightly to stare up at the clear night sky above. It was a nice night, after all, but why did she feel the need to stargaze _right next to him_? "It's just funny," she laughed airily all of a sudden.

"What?"

"Well, I just never would've dreamed we would've had a conversation about you _overworking_ yourself!" He flinched at the unveiled barb, uncomfortably looking away with a scowl. She wasn't wrong; Shikamaru was the undisputed king of laziness and distributor of the label of "drag," but did she have to come out and say it like that? When he deigned to look back at her, she was giving him a sweet smile that made his heart somersault in his chest for some reason. "I'm proud of you."

A blush blazed a red trail across his cheeks, hot and burning. _Proud _of him? It wasn't like Shikamaru was doing any of this to get praised; he was just… doing what he wanted. Still, something about her praise made him feel happy, almost ridiculously so. He fidgeted awkwardly next to her, his arms slumping down to fidget with the hem of his green vest. He wasn't really sure how to process the runaway train of his emotions at the moment.

"Thanks…" he managed with a tiny smirk that barely betrayed how stupidly giddy he was at such a simple statement. "You should give yourself some credit too, though. You've come a long way since we were all Genin."

"Hehe, thanks," she grinned radiantly up at him. She was leaning into him a little. Every time her shoulder lightly bumped into his, Shikamaru felt electric sparks jump across his nerves. His entire right arm felt like a sparking frayed wire. Her eyes drooped suddenly as she yawned slightly, and her body swayed a little back and forth. "I told myself during our first Chunin exams that I would work hard to catch up to those two," she murmured, almost to herself. Her side was completely pressed against him now, and her head bobbed a little over his shoulder as her hazy eyes stared somewhere off into the distance. "Sometimes I feel like I'm still so far behind them, even still…"

Shikamaru felt bad for her, really. He couldn't imagine the pressure of having two powerhouses like Sasuke and Naruto to compete with. It was almost like looking up at two gods, with the plane they were on. Still, she kept climbing, not giving up… Her tenacity and drive were what he admired most about her.

"Sakura?"

"Mmm?" she answered sleepily. She was still swaying back and forth like a skinny tree in the wind as she bobbed on the border of asleep and awake. He stared down at her for a minute, then gently grabbed the back of her head to push it into the crook of his neck and shoulder. He half-expected her to rebuke him and even punch him for that, but apparently she was too tired to care; with a contented hum, she nestled willingly into the junction of his body. He felt goosebumps rise over his skin as her breath puffed in little gasps over his neck, and her cherry blossom-pink threads of hairs tickled him as she adjusted to her makeshift pillow. One of her hands clutched endearingly, almost child-like, at the side of his stiff vest, fingers curling into the fabric. She was breathing softly and quietly. He didn't know if she had fallen asleep as soon as her head met his shoulder.

But he said it none the less.

"I'm proud of _you_." It was a whisper, nothing more. Her entire body weight was slumped against him now. Surely she was fast asleep. There was definitely no going home for him; he didn't want to wake her. She looked so comfortable and content snuggled into his side, tip of her nose buried into that little pocket at the base of his neck. His hand still held the back of her head, and he absentmindedly began to weave his fingers into her soft hair that smelled faintly of strawberries and honeysuckle. His other hand rose to his mouth as he yawned again. At least the night was warm; it made sleeping on the street much less of a drag than it could have been. With a sleepy grunt, his pressed his cheek into the top of her head, hand falling around her waist to hold her close. She muttered something in her sleep. Was she dreaming already? She was mumbling something about staying… Well, there was no riddle as to who that could be about. Shikamaru felt more jealous than he care to admit.

"Shika… maru…" she sighed into his neck and pushed closer, fingers now clawing across the center of his vest. His eyes widened slightly as she unconsciously uttered his name, and then he smiled into her sweet-smelling hair, other arm enclosing her in a gentle embrace as sleep began to overtake him again.

He'd have to fall asleep on benches more often.


	21. Lucid Dream

Category: Hurt and Comfort, Romantic Fluff

Characters: Shikamaru Nara, Sakura Haruno

_Bonjour, mes amis! Here's today's story for ShikaSaku Week Hanami, prompt "Drip, Drip, Drip (Our Blood). For some reason I really like writing in Shikamaru's POV… Anyway, enjoy~_

_Drip. Drip. Drip. _

The slow, melodic sound was the first thing to greet Shikamaru as he phased into consciousness. His vision rolled as he forced his eyes open but could only manage to part his eyelids into a small slit for the overwhelming nausea that engulfed him upon doing so. Eyelashes fluttering like a trembling leaf as he struggled to keep his eyes open and survey his surroundings and current situation, the water kept dripping. _Drip. Drip. Drip. _Dust was dancing in thin brown clouds all around him. It was dark save for a few spearing shafts of light pouring down from large, gaping holes in the ceiling.

A _ceiling_\- he was in a building, or what was left of it. Chunks of the wall and roof were littered around him in great heaping gobs of crushed stone, with little pebbles and normal-sized rocks scattered around like their voluminous brood. Glass intermingled with the carnage, glowing with sheen as they reflected the harsh sunlight invading the dark space. Shikamaru turned his head to his left, though the muscles in his neck and shoulders screamed loudly in protest, to find a cavernous expanse stretching out just beside him. The floor- and the three stories underneath- lie far below in an indistinct collection of rubble. Illuminated by the sunlight below, a large red puddle bloomed on the smooth surface of one of the rock faces, a lake of blood that splintered off into many rivers that meandered into the cracks.

_Drip_. Another bead of blood bloomed on the tip of his finger from where his arm was slung carelessly into the void, then detached itself to fall down, down, down and splash into the puddle below. Blood. _His_ blood, to be exact. It was a lot. How was he bleeding so much?

The spike of twisted metal embedded through his lower abdomen provided that answer. The jade green of his vest was dyed a dark brown where the blood had seeped into the thick fabric. He shifted slightly and could feel the sticky mass of blood squelching against his backside, traveling all the way down his left leg. The stretch of floor that he was laying on was sloped downwards and to the left, allowing the blood to run up his body, catch on his left arm, and pool on his hand before gravity stole it away.

"Well, _shit_," he wheezed. His right arm twitched as he tried to move it, but the muscles were hesitant to comply at first. Slowly, he eased his arm up; his right hand shook violently that it made tremors wrack all the way up to his shoulder. Somehow, he wrapped his hand around the spear of metal that was jutting out of his stomach and gave it an experimental tug. All he earned himself was shooting pain blooming like flower petals from the epicenter of his wound; his head smacked back against the concrete as he hissed loudly in agony. That certainly wasn't budging. It was probably his luck that the metal was worked into the concrete and had bent upon the building collapsing, and he had landed right on top of it. Pulling it out was counter-productive anyway; he would bleed out almost instantaneously. Shikamaru's eyebrows threaded together as he fought to remember how he had ended up in such a drag in the first place.

The memories threaded like beads of dew on a spiderweb, spaced far apart but no less interconnected; he recalled something about raiding a suspected drug cartel compound. He tugged at the thread in his mind, hoping that all the dew beads would merge to form a coherent series of events. Green eyes and pink hair suddenly clouded him memories. _Sakura_, that's right, he was with Sakura in the fifth-floor raid party; to catch the enemy unawares, they had planned to attack every floor at once to keep those on the upper floors from barricading themselves in or utilizing a secret escape route. It had been going all fine and dandy until some nutjob had decided to strap a bunch of paper bombs to himself to become a martyr. They had been in far too close quarters for the both of them to escape, and Shikamaru's brightest idea at the time had been to wrench Sakura out of the window then dive for the stairs. The paper bombs had exploded and the floor had collapsed, and apparently, Shikamaru had ended up here.

_Drip. Drip. Drip. _The blood continued to accumulate in the rubble below.

_Sakura… Is she okay? _The girl was by no means a slouch, but she probably hadn't expected to be flung off the fifth floor of a building, either. Shikamaru ought to be concerned with himself, but his thoughts were bent on the medical ninja. He could've killed her, really. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if that were the case. Of all the things, that stupid set of decisions? He should've reacted faster. There were any number of alternate scenarios that could've unfolded, but that had been the one he had opted for. God, he was an idiot. If she did live, he almost hoped he did die to spare himself the beating he was sure to catch later.

Wow. He was actually acting like he _was_ going to make it out of this alive. His vision, already fuzzing black around the edges, settled once more on the sharp metal bit jutting out of his abdomen. Shikamaru felt bile rise up in the back of his throat as he felt the acidic tang of fear beginning to flood his mouth. His grip tightened around the iron, as if his hand alone could shatter it. Waves of tingling numbness began to course over his body, head to toe. Then there was that _goddamned_ dripping. _Drip. Drip. Drip. _It pulsed loudly in his eardrums like tinnitus, sending spikes of pain shooting into his skull with each accursed drop. He didn't want to die. It's not like Shikamaru was the biggest go-getter, but still, there were things he wanted to accomplish in life before kicking the bucket. He had to see Naruto become Hokage. More than that, he had to be that dumbass's advisor, because he sure didn't trust anyone else to do it. God, even though it was a drag, he wanted to get married, maybe have a kid or two, watch them grow up… Maybe, then, maybe he could die- but not right now. Not yet.

Sakura.

Maybe the blood loss was making him delirious. He was trying to keep his breath from coming in ragged, shallow gasps, because the faster he breathed, the faster the blood pumped through his veins, and the faster his blood began to drip. _Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. _Had it sped up? How long had it been since the building collapsed? One minute? Ten? How close was he to death, actually?

Sakura.

_Drip. Drip. Drip. _

Girls were a drag. Shikamaru had always thought so. Seeing Ino and Sakura butt heads like fighting mountain goats was enough to solidify that in his brain. Yet… Somehow they had become less of a drag, over time. Especially her. Especially Sakura. He admired her, even. She was a bit feisty, but he preferred that to a total giggly fake pushover. She was smart, so he could hold intelligent conversation with her. She was strong, stupidly so, which meant Shikamaru never had to worry. Of course he hadn't hurt her throwing her out of the building. It was _Sakura_, after all. She probably hurt the ground rather than the other way around.

_Drip. Drip. Drip. _

He was definitely delirious. His vision swam like swirling water before his hazy eyes. He didn't even have the strength to hold his head up any more. One minute? Ten? It felt like a lifetime. He was definitely delirious, because he was regretting not telling her that he loved her. When did that happen? They hung out, sure. They were often paired on missions because they worked well together. He'd walked her home after they went out to dinner a couple times, but that was just work stuff. Friend stuff, if he was being generous.

_Drip. Drip. Drip. _

Did he think about her sometimes? Sure, but his mind just wandered like that. Wandered, to her pink hair like the cherry blossoms in bloom, to her spring green eyes that sparkled like a beautiful sea they had seen once in a mission out of the country, to her beautiful smile that shone like the sun itself. He had to be delirious, because he could see her before his waking eyes, calling his name with tears in those eyes like new spring growth.

"Shikamaru! Shikamaru, can you hear me?"

Was she actually there? Was she an illusion? Shikamaru really couldn't tell. Everything around her was a smudge of indistinct grays and blacks and browns with those burning streaks of white light, yet she was so crisp and clear. His eyes settled on an abnormality, on the trail of bright red blood streaming down the side of her face from a gash in her forehead. Was that his fault? It traveled down her cheek, mixing with her pouring tears, down to her chin, where it beaded like a red jewel and dropped down onto his vest. _Drip. Drip. Drip._

"Sakura… You're… Bleeding…" Was that his voice? It sounded so garbled, like a frog croaking. His whole body was numb at this point, and the only point he knew that he had actually lifted up his hand was when it appeared in his line of sight. His trembling thumb gently swept over the thin laceration as his expression contorted into one of regret. "Sorry…"

"What? This? No, no, this is nothing!" Maybe it was his imagination, but she seemed to lean into his touch, cheek brushing into his palm. "Shikamaru, you saved me. I would have died in that explosion if you hadn't pushed me out of the way." His mouth twisted into a pitiful rendition of a smile. She wasn't mad. No beating for him. He was finally catching a stroke of luck. That lovely pink hair of her whirled as she whipped her head around to shout at Naruto and Kiba, who were finally ascending the half-broken stairs to assist her.

"Sakura, you shouldn't have run up the stairs like that! They're all half-collapsed, believe it! We almost died!"

"Yeah, like, three times."

"Shut up and help me!" Her voice was high-pitched, nearly manic. The tone demanded their will to comply. Shikamaru's breath was rattling in his lungs now. It felt like it was water he was breathing, not oxygen, heavy and suffocating. He could vaguely hear the two boys suck in horrified gasps when they neared him, and Sakura vaguely instructing them to hold him still as she bent off the end of the pole. She stood over him, one foot on either side of his hips, while Naruto crouched down at his head to push his palms into his chest. Sakura grasped the end of the pole and charged her fists with chakra, and then bent the piece of metal as close as she dare to the gaping hole that was his wound.

The vibrations alone were enough to send Shikamaru's legs to spasming, and Kiba had to dive on them to keep him from accidentally kicking her away. Short pained cries left his mouth, dignity ignored. It of course didn't snap immediately; she had to bend it back and forth, working weakness into the metal until it finally broke, snapping off in a jagged point just above his heaving belly. "Shikamaru, this is going to hurt like hell."

"Wha- _AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGH_!" he howled as the three of them all but jerked him off the remaining short spike of metal. The barbed end ripped through his flesh with fervor, sending more blood spurting into the air and his vision flaring white as he fought desperately against fainting. His entire body burned like he was being submerged in lava, but especially that small circle of agony in his lower abdomen. As soon as they had him on the ground again, Sakura was straddling his waist with her hands pressed deep into his wound, dying them a dark red that he could even see through the hemisphere of green healing chakra; his body continued to twitch with lingering tendrils of fiery pain wracking his nervous system. He was wheezing as his wide eyes attempted to fixate on her trembling form but failing miserably as they danced with white and black spots. He could feel the light tremors against his body. Her tears continued to flow, gathering on the end of her chin to splash down below.

_Drip. Drip. Drip. _

"S-Saku… ra… I…"

"No. Don't you do that," she growled at him. Her green eyes, alight with furious fire, snapped up to meet his. "You're not dying. Not here. Not like this. I won't _let_ you." He couldn't help but allow the tired smirk to form on his lips. So angry all the time. It was amazing how much roiling rage was pent up in that petite body.

His hand was moving again. It settled in her threads of disheveled pink hair, tucking it behind her ear. "Stop moving. It makes this harder," she ordered, but with much less bark. Shikamaru ignored her, going to tug on the neck of her shirt to get her attention. "What?" What he mumbled, she could not here. A faint tinge of pink arose to her cheeks, but whether that was from embarrassment or ire, she wasn't sure. She shifted such that she was now kneeling by his side, allowing her to both continue administering medical ninjutsu to his wound and leaning close to his face. "What did you say?"

"Just in case," he wheezed in a hoarse laugh, and with the last of his strength, he pushed his head up so he could press a light kiss to her lips. He actually managed to hold it for a few seconds before his head smacked back down to the concrete. She stared owlishly down at him for a few seconds more. She would probably still hit him even in his condition for pulling a stunt like that, but hey. "Don't look at me like that," he simpered weakly. "You're not one to deny a dying man his first kiss, are you?" A trail of blush blazed across her cheeks like a sudden wildfire.

"Idiot," she grumbled, looking back down to his wound. "You think I'm going to let you die now…?" He quirked his eyebrow at her soft features. Was that a smile he saw? He would've thought she would be angry. He yelped loudly when she suddenly applied more pressure to his abdomen. "Idiot! I'm gonna heal this stupid wound of yours so I can kill you myself! Jeez, men, can't even handle a scratch before they start getting weird ideas in their head!" she raged loudly, and in tandem, her green chakra flared all the brighter and became bubbly and unfocused around the edges. He sputtered out apologies as the force of her fists against his stomach literally bent his spine and forced him to sit up a little.

"Yeesh, Sakura," Naruto frowned at her. "I thought it was kinda romantic, actually…"

"Yeah, if I was a girl, I'd swoon," Kiba agreed with his arms crossed.

"Shut up! You two want some of this?! Why don't you go and make yourself useful with the clean-up effort before they're washing your blood off the walls!" The two followed her advice and made a hasty retreat. She began muttering under her breath about their incompetency, which made him chuckle slightly. He soon regretted that, because it flared that flower of pain in his belly again.

"Ouch…"

"That was reckless," she scolded him quietly. It took him a second to register that he was referring to his abomination of a strategy earlier.

"I know. I probably could've come up with something better if I had been thinking straight." He could talk in longer sentences now without gasping for air, so he supposed his chances of dying were now slimmer.

"You? Not thinking straight?"

"I was too busy thinking about how I didn't want you to die." Her mouth folded in on itself as she blushed darker. She looked away, likely because she was embarrassed for him to see. A long period of silence unfolded between them, a book with blank pages. Shikamaru wasn't sure of what he wanted to write there. Perhaps it didn't need to be written at all.

"You…" she sighed, looking back to him finally as she removed her hands from his abdomen. "I've stopped the bleeding and sealed the wound shut, but it's only a temporary fix. You need surgery. Move too much and you'll bust it open again."

"Moving too much? Doesn't sound like me."

"You could have died!" she shouted at him suddenly. Despite what he had just said, he flinched violently, and his hand shot to the half-closed wound as it snarled in protest. His eyebrows were knitted together as he stared up at her face, twisted in agony and regret. "You could've _died_," she repeated, more softly, "and I don't know what I would've done if you had." She hung her head. He watched those tears, tinged pink with the blood still leaking from her forehead cut, drip down onto her lap. _Drip. Drip. Drip. _

He clenched his teeth tightly, forcing himself up onto his elbows, then pushing off to unsteadily pull himself into a sitting position. He slung his arms loosely around the crying girl, half in a consoling embrace and half in a gesture to ensure he didn't fall right back down. He pushed his head into hers, his dark black strands weaving with those lovely pink ones.

"But I didn't," he breathed into her scalp, "because you saved me." He felt her shaking hands screw into the fabric of the back of his vest as she held onto him tightly. Her face was buried into his shoulder, smearing it with blood and tears and low sobs.

Surely, he was no longer delirious.

He slipped his hand under her head to grasp her gently by the chin, lifting up her face. Somehow, it was possible for her to still be incredibly beautiful, even with her face smeared with dirt and smudged with blood and her expressed scrunched up into misery. Those bright green eyes peeked out at him through thick, tear-heavy lashes. "You saved me," he repeated comfortingly. Her eyes flickered a few times before falling to his lips. Her gaze rested there for a moment.

"Just in case." Her voice was like a breath among howling wind, nearly inaudible. She closed her eyes as she leaned into kiss him. This time, her lips molded fully into his, and he relished how soft and pliant they felt under his. With a hunger he had never known, he devoured her in passionate, starving kisses, pushing against her such that she had to brace herself with her palms flat against the concrete, back bent at a dramatic angle. His were holding her face in place as he kissed her fervently, over and over and over until both their mouths were sore and bruised. That ache in him wasn't even close to being filled, but he forced himself to pull back regardless, mostly because his head was beginning to swim again. He laughed breathily as his forehead fell into her shoulder, and her arms jumped up to wrap around his broad back.

"Rest," she cajoled him. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"When I wake up, will this all have been some sort of twisted lucid dream?" he laughed wryly.

"No," she laughed and pressed a kiss into the top of his head. "Not a dream." Shikamaru decided to take that at face value and practically melted into her, allowing all of his muscles to finally relax. As he breathed in air, Sakura's scent wafted in with it, a blend of strawberries and cream and the fresh spring breeze.

Even if he never woke up, he was pretty content with going out this way, held in the arms of the woman he daresay he loved while the sunlight warmed his back… Of course, it would be nice if he _did_ wake up, lucid dream or not.

After all, there was a lot he still had left to do… Marry a girl, maybe have a kid or two, watch them grow up… retire to a home in the countryside, with cherry blossoms blooming in the brilliance of spring, and be greeted every morning by that smile that rivaled the glow of the very sun.


	22. Where Time Stood Still

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Shikamaru Nara, Sakura Haruno

_Hi, everybody! Here's my story for ShikaSaku Week Hanami's Day Five Prompt, "Laughing, Joyful, and Free." Enjoy!_

"Shikamaru, where are we _going_?" Sakura griped to her boyfriend as she continued to take blind, unsteady steps in the direction that he was smoothly guiding her in. Both his hands were currently eclipsing her vision, so she was forced to rely only on his insistent but gentle pushing and soft nudges of his knees into the back of hers. When he had dropped by her house this morning to announce that he had a surprise for her, she hadn't envisioned that he would trek her through what felt like half the village to deliver it, blindfolding her no less. "Shikamaru!" she whined in a high-pitched voice as he continued to ignore her, only turning her slightly to push her forward some more.

"Pipe down, will ya? Just be patient." Sakura had plenty of patience. One could argue based on her years' worth of pining after Sasuke that she had _too_ _much_ patience. Eager to live up to that good name, she obediently fell silent, but she damn sure poked her lips out in a childish pout to illustrate her displeasure. Shikamaru's hands shook lightly as his shoulders jumped in a throaty chuckle. "We're almost there. It'll be worth it. I promise."

"Okay…"

Shikamaru and Sakura getting together had taken everyone by surprise, especially themselves. Their friend group thought Sakura had never abandoned her lifetime crush of Sasuke, and most of them had a bet pool going on when Shikamaru was going to get with Temari (because apparently guys and girls just couldn't be best friends without _something_ between them). If someone asked her, Sakura really couldn't tell them how the crush started; a few happenstance meetings, a handful of joint missions, a couple of generous walks home and some seemingly innocent dinner dates had apparently been the recipe for a budding relationship. The first time he kissed her, she was caught completely unawares- but she still kissed him because it felt way nicer than it ought to. Now, here they were a year and a half later and still going steady. It was funny how life worked out that way.

"All right. We're here."

"About time," she carped, "I thought my feet were going to fall off!" Her tone was playfully chiding; honestly, she was bristling with excitement to see whatever Shikamaru had been so adamant about showing her, because it wasn't every day he came knocking on her door with surprises. As far as romantic gestures went, he was as low-key and relaxed as the rest of his lifestyle. It made the rare instances where he put forth substantial effort all the more worth it, in her opinion. His hands fell away from her eyes. She had to flap her lashes a few times as they adjusted to the sudden sunlight; gradually, the landscape cleared before her.

It was breathtaking.

"Oh, Shikamaru, it's beautiful," she breathed aloud, unable to do anything but stand there entranced by the scene that unfolded before her. Tucked away in one of the village's many forest training grounds had apparently been a spacious clearing that was currently bursting with wildflowers bursting in spring blooms. The colors weaved together like an ornate quilt- brilliant whites, summery yellows, cheerful pinks, rich violets, all accented by the fresh greens of stems and shoots. Every time the wind rolled over the small meadow, the blossoms bobbed back and forth like they were droplets in a crashing wave, spilling their petals into the air to decorate the wind and be carried off into the bowels of the forest. Sakura breathed in deeply to inhale the melodious blend of their aromas. She turned around to beam brightly at him, finding him watching her with his hands in his pockets and a serene smile on his face. "How did you find this place?"

"I stumbled upon it during early-morning training. I thought you would like it," he remarked casually, but the happy twinkle in his eye belied his excitement that was so delighted about his little gift. She crouched down to inspect the flowers closer, giggling with pleasure as she poked the pollen-coated stamens and brushed her fingers over the silk-soft petals. She heard soft crunches behind her as Shikamaru approached to stand over her, feet planted on either side of her legs as he leaned over slightly to watch her pore over the blooms. Sakura was tough and maybe even a little tomboyish, but thanks to her perpetuating friendship with Ino, she really did have a soft spot for flowers. It warmed her heart knowing that it was something Shikamaru remembered about her. Her fingers glided back and forth through the thin stems. The flowers swished in tandem with her movements.

Suddenly, she whirled around to grab Shikamaru's arm and yank him down. He yelped in surprise as he was knocked off-balance and crashed roughly into the greenery and earth, landing awkwardly on his side with his legs splayed out on either side of her. "Hey, what's the-" He stopped midsentence and flushed the color of a rose as Sakura shimmied up his body, laying herself across him with her lower half resting snugly between his long legs. Smirking demurely, she crossed her arms against his chest and rested her chin on them to flutter her thick lashes at him.

"Let's stay here a while."

"You- what- okay." He acted for a minute as if he were going to argue, face contorting in confusion and concern, but Shikamaru was never the type to pass up an opportunity to laze about. With a deep sigh, he reclined into the loamy soil, bending a few of the flexible plant stems as he pushed his head back into the thick growths. His hands lazily meandered up to Sakura's slim shoulders to begin tracing abstract patterns into her deltoids. The smile on her lips stretched further as she rested her cheek against her arm and closed her eyes to enjoy the feelings of the warm sun on her skin and Shikamaru's ministrations across her upper back. She felt as if this place were separated from the rest of the world, and for this short sweet time, Shikamaru and herself could abandon all their responsibilities and worries to simply bask in the simple harmony of nature.

At a point, his fingers abandoned their artistry on her shoulders to slip into her short pink hair. He continuously threaded his slim fingers through the strands, starting at the roots and traveling all the way down to the lightly curled ends and starting over again. He always did love playing with her hair; her meticulous shampooing routine always kept it soft and luscious, and he just loved the feeling of the silken hairs under his fingertips- or so he said. The way the pads of his fingers brushed softly over her scalp was so soothing that she never even entertained the idea of complaining, of course.

Sakura cracked an eye open as she heard the low-pitched buzzing of a honeybee. The fat yellow-and-black insect hobbled into her vision, bobbing around the head of one of the purple flowers before it docked on the thick petal. Its wiry antennae wiggled about to find purchase on the clump of powdery pollen at the center. The little spores coated its fur as it gathered the nectar; the way its bulbous back end shook about made it seem like the creature was partaking in a dust bath instead. After it had collected its fill, its clear wings fluttered to lift it into the air, and it bumbled onward to another flower nearby. Seeing the insect hard at work reminded Sakura that they unfortunately could not lounge in the flowers all day.

"What time do you have to report to Kakashi-sensei?" she inquired, turning her head and walking her index and middle fingers up his chest. It had been mid-morning when they had left her residence, about nine or so, and she had no idea how much time had passed since then.

"Ten-thirty. But he'll live if I'm a little late," he puffed without opening his eyes. His hand snuck over the top of her head to catch hers that was walking little lines about his pectorals. Eyes still shut, he brought it to his lips to press little kisses across her knuckles, before he wrapped it in a light grip and held it at the space over his heart. Sakura laughed lightly at his blatant disregard for the Hokage. As devoted as Shikamaru was, he still held onto some of those lazy, unbothered tendencies.

"We should go."

"Why? You got a hot date I don't know about?"

"Yeah. I got a spicy rendezvous with Lee scheduled for ten-forty-five, and I'd hate to miss it," she joked with a teasing wink. It was then that he cracked one of his dark eyes open to glower at her. "Buuuuuuut, I suppose I could push it back to eleven," she pressed further. The corner of his mouth twitched in the mixture of a smirk and scowl.

"You're hilarious."

"I know. Just another one of my endearing qualities," she quipped with a click of her tongue. He rolled his eyes at her, making her laugh again. With a grunt, he snaked his other arm around her middle to pull her up his body so that her face was resting completely over his. Their entwined hands were crushed between their chests, but he made no move to release his grip. Sakura cocked her head slightly as she stared down into his dark irises. "If it makes you feel any better, I wish time would stand still, too," she murmured gently. He grunted again in response and closed his eyes again, tilting up his face to run the tip of his nose sensually along her jawline before pressing a long kiss to the joint just below her ear. Sakura bit down lightly on her bottom lip at the pleasurable ticklish feeling of his lips skipping over her cheekbone. It felt reminiscent of a feather being brushed over her skin, sending sparks of electricity jumping through her stimulated nerves.

"Then let it stand still," he mumbled at the corner of her lip as he pressed another kiss there. Abandoning herself to his affections, Sakura turned her face to allow her lips to smooth into his, like half-melted chocolate spilling into a mold. A pleased rumble purred in his throat at her action and his arm bent around her waist in a nearly crushing hold. A soft sigh fluttered past her lips as they rhythmically moved against his repeatedly in long, passionate kisses. Just as she was thinking that she could easily resign herself to wasting the day away in this secluded meadow, she felt Shikamaru abruptly heave beneath her. He jerked his face away with her with a strangled grasp and began frantically pawing at his ear.

"What? What?!"

"A goddamn bug crawled up the side of my face," he spat angrily. She blinked down at him, and then in the next second began laughing hysterically. "Hey! It felt weird!" Chest heaving with uncontrollable giggles, she leaned forward to press her forehead into his shoulder. She could tell by his tensed muscles that he didn't appreciate her laughing at him, but slowly, they relaxed and his arms wove around her again. "I guess it was kinda funny," he grumbled in defeat. After another minute or so, her laughs had dissolved into occasional hiccupy snickers. She settled her face into the crook of his neck as she continued to release bubbly chuckles. With each breath, she inhaled Shikamaru's earthy scent of sage and oakwood, and it slowly settled the remaining laughs fizzling up inside her. "Didn't you say we need to get going?" he asked after a minute.

"Yeah, but…" she murmured sleepily. Held in his arms with his warmth and aroma embracing her, Sakura had no care to see to their responsibilities at the moment. "I changed my mind."

And so, they dozed off together with the endless blossoms to stand guard over them, there in the place where time stood still.


	23. Rainshowers

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Sakura Haruno, Shikamaru Nara

_Good day, everyone! Here's my story for ShikaSaku Week Hanami's Day Six prompt, "Like Air in My Lungs (I Need You)." Enjoy!_

"Ino. Have you ever loved someone so much that it hurts?"

Sakura's eyes were lidded as she gazed forlornly out of the café window. Her hand was curled around a cup of black tea that was long since cold, over half full of the dark brew. The rain was pounding against the glass beside her; the glass looked as if it were frosted with the pumping streams that were cascading down the smooth, clear surface like a steady waterfall. For the thousandth time that morning, she sighed deeply and looked out the corners of her eyes at her friend, lips pursed in a self-pitiful pout.

"Sakura." The click in her tongue indicated that she was in for a chiding. She closed her blue eyes as she set down her cup of green tea with a shake of her head. "Shikamaru has been broken up with Temari for three weeks now! Why are you here moping to me when you _could_ be making your move?" Sakura groaned loudly and slammed her forehead down onto the table, making the cups rattle and silverware jump.

"It's too soon! Shouldn't I wait at least a month?"

"Girl! You waited _six months_ before he even started dating her! It's not like they were together for a super long time; they went on _three_ dates," the blonde scolded her critically. Sakura groaned into the finished wood of the small café table. "Hey. Look at me, will ya?" Obediently, Sakura lifted her head to peer at her with big green eyes; Ino was leaning her cheek in her hand and smiling sympathetically. "I know how hard it is for you to reconcile with your feelings after the whole Sasuke thing petered out, but if you never take any risks, Sakura, you're gonna live your life full of regret." _Ugh. I hate it when she's right, _the kunoichi thought with a dour pout as she sat herself up and ran a hand over her wearied face.

"I know," she grumbled in agreement. She turned to glance out of the window once more. The wind whisked up the rain to all but throw it against the glass in furious pitter-patters. The perfect parallel to her tumultuous mood. _I just… Don't want to ruin the status quo, _she continued silently as her eyes drifted halfway shut. The rain continued to pour.

* * *

Sakura had bid Ino a good evening and begun the wet, rainy trek home. The rain pounding continuously on the rubbery layer of the red umbrella she was holding over her head like a shower of bullets. The dirt street was flooded with numerous, deep puddles of dirty rainwater that splashed up the sides of her bare calves with every squelching step. Sakura tilted the edge of the umbrella up for a moment to peek up at the sky; it was choked with ashy gray clouds that rolled with quiet thunder and flashes of bright white lightning deep within their bellies. No doubt, it would be a long time before the rain let up. With a small sigh, she dropped her head back down, chin striking her chest. In such dismal weather, it was nearly impossible not to brood. Her hand curled up around her heart as it clenched tightly in her chest. She had asked Ino if she had ever loved someone so deeply that it hurt, because all Sakura felt these days was a dull aching beneath her sternum- the low, throbbing pulse of insurmountable longing. It was a painfully familiar feeling, one she had lived with for several years, and sometimes she wondered if her love for Sasuke had diminished at all, if maybe she were confusing her little crush on Shikamaru with these deep feelings of hers.

Then she would see him- just like right then, as he trotted out of the door of a small convenience store with one hand in his pants pocket and the other tossing a small plastic bag of canned coffees over his shoulder. Sakura stopped in her tracks, green eyes wide as they beheld him grimacing up at the stormy heavens.

"Man, what a drag… I should've checked the weather forecast today. This is getting old," he muttered. His legs were splashed up the side with mud and Sakura could clearly see dark spots littering his clothes, evident of still-drying rain spatters. Had he walked there in the pouring rain? He apparently didn't notice her, as he hopped down the store's steps to land with a light splash in the muddied street below and start walking in the opposite direction. Sakura flushed and dipped her umbrella down to cover her face. She didn't want him to notice her, and yet her heart was screaming in agony, wishing dearly to be greeted. She clenched her teeth as it constricted angrily within her chest; her ears rang with the rush of blood and Shikamaru's soft, splashing footsteps. Her eyes flickered as the toes of his boots appeared just under the rim of the umbrella, passing her left side. She could go unnoticed. She could.

But did she want to?

"Sh-shikamaru!" she cried before her mind could stop her. Water jumped around her feet in a wide, curving arc as she whirled on her heel, and she accidentally threw the umbrella up too high, cause a sudden burst of raindrops to crash down into her face. Startled, she wiped at it quickly with her sleeve before blinking the water away to see Shikamaru staring at her with widened eyes. A mortified blush blazed across her cheeks, but she had already called out to him, so she had no choice but to stand her ground. "D-do you want me to walk you home? It's pouring… You could catch cold." She wished more than anything that her voice came out more confident. Hinata could run circles around her.

"You live in the opposite direction, though," he frowned and rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly. The coffee cans jingled with the movement. Sakura stared slack-jawed at him for a second. How stupid she must look! Of course it would be weird offering to walk him home when they lived on completely different sides of time.

"U-um, I'm just out for a walk. I'm not going anywhere in particular, so, it doesn't matter to me," she recovered lamely. His black eyes met hers for a moment, calculating. She wondered if he could see the nervousness blooming in her spring green depths.

"Well, you gonna bring the umbrella over here or you gonna just let me stand out in the rain?" With a squeak, she scampered over to him, hoisting the umbrella up to accommodate his tall frame. He slipped his hand back in his pocket as he turned to begin walking in step with her. Her legs were significantly shorter, so she had to set her pace almost twice as much as his to keep up. The umbrella bobbed up and down over their heads as she scuttled along beside him. "So what brings you out for a walk in this ugly weather?"

"O-oh, um, I met Ino for lunch at a café earlier, but I just wasn't in the mood to go home yet." At least it wasn't a _total_ lie.

"What, do you two get together once a week to exchange gossip or something?" he sniffed teasingly. Sakura's face turned the color of her hair; yeah, basically, that _was_ what they were doing. Shikamaru blinked at her stunned silence, then began chuckling. "Sounds about right. Lemme guess- Ino just had to spill that me 'n Temari aren't a thing anymore, right? Can't tell her anything." She couldn't tell by the tone of his voice if he was actually angry that the blonde was spreading his business around or if he was just mildly amused; it was blank, void of much emotion at all, and when Sakura peeked up at him she saw that his face was pretty much the same. He stared straight onward with slightly lidded eyes. He looked deep in contemplation.

"… Did you really like her?" she asked quietly. If he was sad, she wanted to be there to comfort him, as his friend. However, part of her was terrified for him to answer that he had possessed strong feelings for the girl. That would just drive the nail into the coffin that contained her own feelings.

"No," he answered, almost a little too easily. Sakura's heart skipped with hope. She then flushed with shame. Why should she be happy that his relationship with Temari hadn't worked out? That was a terrible thing! His eyes shifted to bore into hers again, making her wince slightly. Was she supposed to say something? What should she say? Sakura was just brutally honest; it was especially hard with Shikamaru to act all unperturbed.

"S-so… You're the one who called it off?"

"Yeah."

"Why?" The question burned like fire on her tongue. Temari was smart and capable; honestly, Shikamaru would be lucky to have her. Of course, the answer could be as simple as he wasn't feeling it. That was a perfectly reasonable answer, but doubt poked at the back of Sakura's mind. The two had always had great chemistry, even to the point that people had assumed they were dating. It was almost certain that they would hit it off. So why…?

Shikamaru suddenly stopped, and she followed suit, looking at him in bewilderment. His hand slowly came up to wrap around hers that was holding the handle of the umbrella; blush shot up her arm to creep up her neck and face, and had Shikamaru not been gripping the handle tightly, the umbrella would be shaking from the quiver that had gripped her body. His dark eyes glittered with something that Sakura couldn't place- amusement? Glee? Maybe a faint bit of derision? It was an intense stare that had a pleasurable shiver propagating from her head to her toes and back. She felt it, again, that suffocating constriction in her chest that made her lungs burn. The love that hurt. Electrified, she could only gawk up at him and wait for him to speak.

"Because I was just trying to kid myself out of the fact that I was already in love with somebody else." His words were but ghosts, drifting over Sakura's blush-stained face in feather-light wisps. She was so enraptured by them that she didn't even react when the bag of coffee cans clattered loudly to the ground, nor when both his hands rose to gently cup her face. For some reason, only one thing and one thing only was on her mind.

"Have you ever loved someone so much that it hurt?"

"_Every damn day._"

The seconds between his answer and what happened next were forever a blank period in her memory. Like a record skipping, she was suddenly just there, umbrella discarded and arms around his neck and lips furiously smashing against his in a desperate, heated kiss. The cool rain cascading down her skin foiled the burning sensation of lust flourishing through her insides like fire; everywhere his hands landed- her neck, her hips, her back- there bloomed fiery pleasure as her nerves short-circuited. Sakura hadn't realized up until then how short of breath she was. As soon as his lips met hers, it felt like pure oxygen flooded her lungs, swelling them to maximum capacity. It was like he breathed life into her; she couldn't breathe without him, she loved and needed him that much, and so she refused to part her mouth from his even as her head began to dizzy with lack of breath. When his tongue dipped into her mouth to eagerly tangle with her own, her knees buckled and she slumped against him, mind foggy as she began to slowly spin into suffocation. It felt _so_ good. It felt like a part of her was made whole again.

She was panting hard when he forced himself away from her. Despite her gasping breaths, her face still chased his as it left, her mouth lamenting the loss of the taste of him, like bitter coffee and green tea and spices. He supported her limp frame with his sturdy arms as she slowly came down from the impossible high. She blinked as her mind came back to her. The rain had picked up considerably and they were both now dripping wet, beaded raindrops falling from their chins and elbows and seeping into their clothes to darken the fabric. Sakura laughed lightly as she swept a few of the pink strands that had plastered to her face.

"I let go of the umbrella," she mused bashfully and looked down the street to see it rolling like a tumbleweed far down the street. She turned back to see that they had been standing in front of his house the entire time. _Now I have to walk all the way home in the rain… _Sakura didn't mind it, really. With the gentle, bubbling heat pulsing through her body at the moment, she doubted the chill of the rain would be able to reach her at all. Shikamaru seemed to have other ideas, though.

"What a pity. Guess you're not going anywhere until the rain lets up." Her face turned beet-red at the sultry growl in his voice. She squealed in surprise as he suddenly hoisted her up, and her legs snapped closed around his hips on instinct.

"Shi-! Shika-!" she stammered uselessly. Her brain was far too fried to form coherent words. He gave her a twisted, mischievous smirk as he whirled on his heel to march up the path leading to his residence, while Sakura's nails dug down into his shoulder in a white-knuckled grip. "Have you lost your mind?!"

"I'm quite lucid, thank you," he purred as he kicked the garden gate latch up and opened it with a foot. He kicked it shut behind him, not seeming to care at all that it only bounced back open to begin flapping back and forth in the wind. "What, do you really wanna go on your 'walk' that bad?" Her face continued to flush at his teasing words. Of course she didn't want to go on a damn walk! Mortified and shamefully excited, she leaned forward to bury her face into his shoulder as he carried her into the empty house.

It was certainly not how she expected to spend the rainy day, but boy, did she have some gossip for Ino for their next café meet-up…


	24. Broken

Category: Hurt and Comfort, Romantic Fluff

Characters: Shikamaru Nara, Sakura Haruno

_Hello, everybody! This is my final story for ShikaSaku Week Hanami's Day Seven Prompt, "We Are Ruins"! Due to participation in several other fandom days, I will not be doing the Bonus Day. I hope you all enjoyed my stories for this underappreciated ship! ^.^_

Sakura's eyes snapped open as a cold wave of adrenaline and fear crashed through her. Body pouring sweat, chest heaving with frantic breaths, and the stench of iron burning in her nostrils, it took her a few moments for her panic-clouded mind to register that she was not currently in a blood-soaked battlefield but lying in her bed. Her eyelashes fluttered repeatedly as the nightmarish images of mutilated bodies and bright red blood faded quickly from her vision. AS her wits returned to her, she groaned softly and curled her fingers into the soft sheets that were dampened with her perspiration. _A dream… It was only a dream… _

A ninja's life was a hard one. Nightmares were almost certain, given their profession. Sakura had experienced many a nightmarish thing in her two decades on the planet, and naturally, those things haunted her dreams. Whether they be real-life failures or gruesome scenarios of her subconscious' invention, they prowled in the deep dark of night indiscriminately. It was always a peculiar feeling, the pumping of her adrenaline-doped blood battling for dominance against her weary body; she felt like her entire body was just a low-pulsing drum, teetering just on the edge of sleep but unable to dive over the cliff.

With a small sigh, she rolled onto her other side to peer at the clock. The red neon numbers glared 3:49 a.m. Certainly not the time of morning that she should be out and about, but for some reason Sakura's addled brain was screaming "go for a walk." Resigning herself to her instincts, she slowly pushed herself up in the bed, comforter slipping from her shoulders to bunch up at her waist. She rolled her eye with the heel of one hand while the other fixed the strap of her tank top that had slipped down from her shoulder to hand loosely over her upper arm. She was trying to have a mental debate with herself as her body moved automatically to slip out of the bed and grab a light jacket from the bedpost and slip it on herself, but she was already walking down the hall before it could make a compelling argument. Almost as if she were moving on autopilot, she slipped into a pair of sandals and headed out of the house before her mind could even process it was moving.

It was summertime, so the air was only pleasantly chill though the world had been deprived of sunlight for a good long while. Her jacket kept her body from growing too cold while the chilled breeze moved over her bare legs. Dully, her mind told her that it was not a good idea to wander the streets in short pajama bottoms in the wee hours of the morning, but that compelling need for a stroll haughtily responded that she would punch anybody who dared hassle her. Her shuffling feet scraping the dirt road was the only sound that permeated the quiet of the sleeping village, save for the occasional chirp of a cricket or hoot of an owl. Moths slapped fruitlessly against the burning glass of the streetlamps above her head. Sakura felt like those moths. Prodding uselessly at the doorway to light only to be rejected again and again.

The buildings were all blurry dark masses to her hazed mind. Sakura remembered the way those buildings had been mangled into rubble and splinters the day that Pain had attacked, how she had kneeled amongst the ruins and howled Naruto's name to the uncaring blue sky as she cried bitter tears of loss and fear. Those ruins were long gone now; Sakura was the only ruin left.

Well, not the _only_ ruin.

Her feet had carried her there of their own volition. In the pale moonlight, the white garden gate glowed, veiling the dark silhouettes of bushes and flowers of the garden. The stone path caught the white rays at just the right angle to look like glowing moonstones had been deposited in the grass, white and shining and illuminating her way to the porch. The gate latch and hinges squeaked in protest as she entered the garden. Sakura skipped over the stones and up the porch steps, her footfalls quick but quiet. Once she was standing in front of the door, her mind briefly entertained the notion that it was about four in the morning and she had no business knocking on his door.

In the next second, her knuckles were rapping insistently on the wood.

There was a period of silence. Sakura debated both fleeing and knocking again. Her green eyes flickered to the window as the hallway light inside suddenly switched on. She saw the curtains flutter, but it was not enough for her to see who was actually peeking through the window, but it was plenty enough for the person to catch a good glance at her pajama-clad form standing awkwardly at the doorway. She looked at the porchlight as it flickered on as well, bright yellow lightbulb styled in the form of a small flame within a glass lantern. The moths sprang from the bushes to excitedly pummel themselves into the glass to try and reach it. Like the ruin Sakura, who was reaching out desperately for closure and meeting only resistance.

The door swung open.

"Sakura," Shikamaru said in a low tone as he raised a hand to his mouth to stifle a yawn, "_it's four in the morning._"

"I was having nightmares again."

She had said all that needed to be said. His eyebrows quirked for a second before he wordlessly extended his arms out for her to walk into his embrace, and that she did; she slipped out of her sandals as she crossed the threshold, kicking them near the pairs of shoes that were placed neatly next to where the floor began, and buried her face into Shikamaru's chest. The cloth of his nightshirt was soft against her face, and she breathed in deeply to inhale the comfortable scent of him, coffee and pine forest with the hint of spicy medicinal herbs. His arms closed around her and his hands began rubbing comforting circles in her back, and he propped his chin on the top of her head with a small sigh.

Sakura was not sure what to call their arrangement. It had all started one night like this, when she had awoken in the deep of night sweating and scared and in need of comfort. One would've though that she would have gone to Naruto's, or Ino's, but her fogged mind had delivered her to Shikamaru's home instead. To his credit, he hadn't turned her away, only awkwardly embraced her crying form and pulled her into his house. She had ended up falling asleep in his futon. Shikamaru was the perfect gentleman, of course, and had migrated to his couch once she had crashed. He cooked her breakfast in the morning and she left. It had turned into an almost weekly ritual at this point. To the oblivious bystander, they could be easily perceived as intimate, but it was never like that.

They were just two broken beings that found comfort in each other's brokenness.

When his hands gently patted the backs of her thighs, she obediently jumped up to wrap her legs around his hips so he could cart her off to his room. It was almost uncanny how well her knew her; without even saying anything, he had read that she had no strength to walk anymore. He kicked the door shut and slipped the lock before whirling on his heel and silently carried her to his room. The entire time, Sakura just kept her face pressed into his sternum. There was always something so soothing about how his chest rose and fell against her face with his calm, gentle breaths. At this point she always vaguely considered the fact that they were strangely intimate for supposed best friends, but just like always, it was quickly washed away by the sense of calm that washed over her and chased away all the pent-up energy and fear.

Her head flopped sleepily against him as he sat down cross-legged in the tousled blankets of his futon.

"Thank you," she murmured against him. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes, both of frustration at herself and gratefulness at his selfless care. That was usual for the entire routine, too. And every time, he said-

"You're such a drag." That playful hint in his tone never failed to alight a smile to her face. Her arms wound up around his neck to play with the hair that was for once freed from his high ponytail. Sakura would've never thought that Shikamaru had such soft hair, but he did. It always felt like silk beneath her fingertips as she gently wound it and rubbed it. It had become as much a compulsive gesture as everything else in the strange little sessions. Just like usual, Sakura's eyes were beginning to droop as she settled back into a safe space. It never took her long to fall asleep once she was in Shikamaru's arms.

Except this night was to be a _little_ different.

"Sakura."

"Nnh?" she responded blearily. It was surprising she even reacted to her name being called, as she was descending in that warm watery feeling of encroaching rest. Her head lolled as she looked up at him, green eyes only barely cracked open to peer into his face through her thick lashes. "What is it?" If she had been more able of mind, she would have registered the tautness in his jaw and the uncertainty pooling in his black irises. However, it remained lost to her as she only gazed sleepily into his angular face. Her eyebrows only jumped a little as his gaze fell to her mouth, which was gaping only slightly in her sleepy stupor. Her mind was a few paces behind her senses, because even though she didn't perceive the fact his face was enclosing on hers, her lips adjusted to the inevitable fact that his were going to meet them.

A soft sigh bled off her tongue as they did, molding over her mouth deliciously like softened chocolate. It took a minute for it to click in her mind that Shikamaru was kissing her, but when it did, surprisingly, she did not react with surprise or reproach. Instead, it was like every cell in her body relaxed with a collective "_Finally…" _Although she was already slumped against him, she pushed her body further against him while her hands slipped into his strands of hair to cradle the back of his head, holding him in the sweet kiss. At first, he didn't move, but after a few seconds he hesitantly began to slide his mouth over her own in repeated movements. Sakura relished the slow, sensual dance of their lips and the way he tasted, of the husky robustness of lightly sweetened coffee… That was probably a sign he ingested way too much of it, but it was such an intoxicating flavor that Sakura sure as hell wasn't going to ever chide him for it. His hands found purchase in the soft flesh of her waist, fingers digging in slightly as he kissed her with more fervor. Slowly, he eased her onto her back against the futon, body resting between her legs that were still hugged around his hips. As he angled his head to kiss her more deeply and passionately, Sakura's head began swimming. It was eerily reminiscent of that feeling she had woken up with, tired yet restless, weary yet livened, exhausted yet undeniably _alive_.

When he finally pulled back, she was panting quietly. She had been so drunk on the kiss that she hadn't even realized her lungs were burning for oxygen. His face didn't full back far; he paused to run the tip of his nose along her own before his eyes opened halfway to peer intensely down at her.

"I'm really glad you didn't slap me for that little _experiment_," he remarked. Of all the things he could've said after such a passionate moment, that certainly was a Shikamaru thing to say, and it made her giggle.

"Would've been a drag, huh?" she chuckled as she circled her arms tighter around his broad shoulders. His thumbs were peeking just under her tank top hem, rubbing little circles into her hips. Sakura had a lot of things she could ask- how long had he felt this way about her, what made him choose this moment over all others, to name a couple- but she didn't. Those questions could come later. For now, she simply wanted to bask in the simplicity of it all.

They were just two individuals that had long been ruined, slowly piecing themselves back together. Of course a connection like that could easily turn into something more intimate. It made sense that Sakura had not reacted more strongly than she had. She was pulled out of her introspection as Shikamaru suddenly gave her a pouty look.

"Does this mean I don't have to sleep on the couch?" he asked hopefully. When Sakura laughed and nodded her head, he sighed in relief and tipped to the side to flop down in the futon beside her. "Good, it kills my goddamn back."

"You sound like such an old man."

"I get that often," he snorted but smirked at her. She rolled on her side to face him as he tugged the comforter over both their bodies, resting it just at the top of Sakura's small shoulder. His hand fell down to cup her face and sweep away a strand of her short pink hair. "You're so beautiful," he whispered admiringly. The pure reverence in his usually unbothered tone made her flush the shade of her hair. She only smiled before snuggling up against him, face pressing into the crook of his neck to once again breathe in that intoxicating natural scent of his.

Needless to say, the remained of Sakura's night was filled with only pleasant dreams.


	25. Correspondence

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Shikamaru Nara, Temari

_Hello, everyone! ^u^ This is my piece for Day 1 of ShikaTema Week for the prompt "Letters"! _

Temari's blue-green eyes trawled over the neatly inked rows of words stretching across the parchment she held above her face as she lay sprawled diagonally across her bed. The oceanic orbs absorbed every detail of the lettering, from the blobs of black ink indicative of careful consideration to the whooshing lines of excited haste. Her pink lips curled upwards into a giddy smile as she read the words contained within the letter, and when she finished, she hugged the piece of parchment to her chest. The paper crinkled under the force of her embrace; the noise was barely audible over her contented sigh. She pulled the bottom half of the letter to once more peek at the letter's signature.

_Shikamaru. _

Just reading his name made a delighted grin spring to her features. Temari would never openly express her besottedness of the boy, but within the solitude of her bower, she afforded herself some small measure of freedom. She rolled onto her side, clutching the letter and smiling gleefully. The moonlight streamed in through the slightly open window with particles of sand that glowed like moondust. The hour was late; she had no business writing a reply. Nevertheless, she sprang from her bedsheets to hurry to her desk, scrambling for pen and parchment and words to say.

Ever since the incident in the Land of Shadow and Naruto's wedding, she and Shikamaru had been communicating regularly. Maintaining a long-distance relationship was difficult, especially with the both of them so involved with the political realms of the respective villages. Still, they were determined to make it work. Correspondence was instrumental in sustaining their feelings for one another. Neither of them was particularly eloquent nor amorous, so typically, the contents of the letters were quite dull. However, Temari knew Shikamaru exceptionally well. She could hear the hints of affection bled into the inked pages, see his shy smirk before her waking eyes. Their wavelengths had aligned into a single pulsing wave, and thus, they knew intricacies about one another no one else ever could.

After about ten minutes of eagerly transcribing the recent events of her life onto the page, Temari paused to give her aching wrist a break. She rolled it casually to loosen the stiffening ligaments and glanced out of the window. Her white curtains ruffled in the night breeze like dancing skirts, silken and ethereal. The stars glimmered in the desert sky, joined only by faint wisps of gray clouds and a grinning crescent moon. She wondered if Shikamaru was awake at this hour and gazing upon the same night sky. _Probably not, _she thought in dry amusement, _he's either asleep, or has his nose in a shogi board. _The image of him hunched over the game always made her chuckle. His brows furrowed in concentration while holding his chin thoughtfully… one might be fooled that he applied such enthusiasm to all his efforts.

_He __**has**__ grown, though, _she admitted as she leaned back in her desk chair. Shikamaru did exert himself almost unnecessarily so in the Leaf Village's political affairs. When Temari inquired about his zeal, he always groaned and insisted it was because Naruto wouldn't know a mission report from toilet paper. Temari knew him, though; she _knew_ that in truth, Shikamaru was investing in knowing all he could because Naruto was his best friend. His devotion to the plucky, blond-haired ninja was no less than admirable.

Temari laid her head on her left arm and resumed scratching letters onto the paper. Her eyes became lidded with serenity, and her lips reflected the joy blooming in her heart as she reported all the mundanity of the last week.

"I've always wondered how you looked when you were writing me back."

Temari jerked out of her chair with a startled gasp, fumbling for the kunai pouch draped across the back of the furniture. Her uncoordinated movements slung the bag right off, sending kunai and shuriken scattering across the stone floor. Luckily, she didn't really need them. Once she realized who was perching in her windowsill like some smug Casanova, she puffed out her cheeks and pouted.

"Shikamaru Nara! You scared me half to death!"

"You? _Scared_?" the boy replied arrogantly with raised eyebrows. Cheeks burning, she crossed her arms and looked away with a huff. _Of all the…!_

"What are you even doing here? At this time of night, on top of that?!" He shrugged nonchalantly and picked up the pen she had been using to click it repeatedly. The monotonous clacking grated her already annoyed mental state, and so she stalked over to snatch it from him. "Seriously! Don't tell me you just snuck out of the Leaf Village for a leisurely jaunt?"

"And what if I did?"

Temari's face turned beet-red, and she whirled on her heel to present her back to him while she gathered her composure. Grunting, she kicked one of the kunai across the room. Its blade scraped over the uneven stone floor before crashing into the wall with a metallic ring. She peeked out of her peripheral vision when she realized Shikamaru was cackling.

"What? What's so funny?!"

"I'm just joking. I'm on a mission here. You should know that; didn't Gaara inform you?" _No! No, he didn't! _Temari fumed silently. As baby-faced and innocent as her little brother appeared, Kankuro could always tempt him into some deviousness. The puppet-master had likely concocted this low scheme to toy with Temari's emotions and was perched somewhere with some binoculars enjoying the spectacle. Huffing, she plopped down on the end of her bed and regarded Shikamaru critically.

"Regardless, what on earth prompted you to drop in unannounced?" He shrugged again and slid out of the window, carefully avoiding the desk situated underneath to drop down into the room. Frowning, he slipped his hands into his pants pockets and looked at her snootily, chin upturned.

"I wanted to _see_ you, dummy." A hard lump formed in the base of Temari's throat; she could not force it down, no matter how many times she swallowed. Her palms bloomed with sudden sweat, which she discharged by running her hands compulsively over her comforter. A fire burned within the roundness of her cheeks, blazing and hot. When she peeked up at him through her lashes, he was smiling kindly at her. "It's just been a while."

"Yes, it has." She edged over on the bed and patted the space beside her. He crossed the room in a few strides and eased down beside her, stretching out his long legs and leaning back on his hands. "What's the mission?"

"Oh, you know, the usual bullshit. Bandits and rogues and disgruntled merchant caravans," he smirked as he looked at her amusedly. His sarcastic dispassion never ceased to make her laugh, because it was just so ridiculous how he could so effortlessly invalidate grave issues. His smirk widened as she giggled, covering her lips daintily with her hand. He suddenly caught her hand, gauging her reaction with glimmering black eyes as he brought it to his mouth to kiss along her fingertips. He was not romantic with his words, but every so often, he could beguile her with tender gestures. "I missed you, Temari," he breathed against the pads of her fingers. His eyes smoldered beneath his dark lashes, stoking the fire within her own body.

"I missed you, too." He tilted his head, lowering her hand to entwine their fingers together. Temari fluttered her eyelashes demurely and sucked in a breath, already anticipating his coming. His free hand threaded into her fluffy sand-colored hair, pausing to stroke along her cheekbone. He shifted on the bed, closer to her, and her eyes closed of their own accord. She exhaled exultantly when she finally felt his lips enveloping her own, and she hummed in satisfaction. She could feel him smirking against her mouth, the smug bastard, but then he pushed into her to deepen the kiss. His hand roamed her body- the length of her arm, the small of her back, the curve of her waist. She wrapped her arm around his neck to tangle her fingers in his coarse black hair, while their other two hands remained entwined between them.

Correspondence was instrumental in maintaining a long-distance relationship, but a surprise visit every once in a while certainly didn't hurt…


	26. Desert Rose

Category: Romantic Fluff

Characters: Shikamaru Nara, Temari

Additional Tags: Medieval AU

_Hey, everybody! Here is my piece for Day 2 of ShikaTema Week for the prompt "Masquerade." I hope everyone enjoys it~!_

Temari's slender arms glided through the sleeves of the ballgown as her attending ladies slipped it over her head. The heavy fabric slumped against her legs to puddle at her feet in rivers of white and cream and gold. One of her waiting ladies bundled a bronze corset to her chest, while another began tying up the ribbons with expert fingers. Careful hands smoothed every crease and crumple in the ballgown's embroidered, bejeweled skirt as they straightened out the magnificent train, while pooled behind Temari like a grand golden-brown lake. Her blue-green eyes searched her reflection in the mirror as a maid combed and styled her voluminous, fluffy blonde hair, piling it atop her head in two buns streamed with beads of topaz. They settled a golden crown inlaid with crystal, tourmaline, and smoky quartz upon her brow and strung dangling earrings from her lobes. Perfumes of sandalwood, cinnamon, and nutmeg clouded the air around her, before the misted droplets settled upon her skin and were absorbed. Finally, a mask fashioned in the image of a golden hawk fell over her eyes, and Temari's preparations were at last complete.

"You look splendid, my lady," one of her attendants cooed over her shoulder with a happy smile. Temari's lips curled up into a smirk, and she skimmed her fingers underneath her chin, admiring her regal personage reflected within the smooth glass.

"You think?" The ladies giggled at her pseudo-insecurity. Temari's ladies revered her for her unflinching confidence and brash boldness, so they knew her comment was in jest. Temari ruffled the heavy skirts enveloping her smooth, slender frame. "I must, or Father will be most displeased." Discontentment saturated her voice.

"I am sure that His Majesty's efforts to secure My Lady a husband will be most successful," one of the young girls, a hopeless romantic, sighed dreamily at her hip as she adjusted the train of Temari's gown. The princess snorted derisively and cocked back her head.

"At the very least, he has finally allowed me to seek my own suitor. I cannot _believe_ he offered me that bungling, dreamy-eyed fool that is the Uzumaki heir. He has eyes for the captain of his guard, and that is painfully _obvious_," she haughtily snorted. Not that Temari cared if the future king of Konoha kingdom was besotted with the stoic, raven-haired knight; as long as he left her well enough alone, he could romance the entirety of his royal sentinel for all she cared. "It is too bad for the Hyuga princess, though," she smirked as her ladies trilled in laughter. "The poor dear is enamored with him and has no idea that he grazes on the other side of the pasture."

"My Lady Temari! You are too bold!"

"That Sasuke Uchiha _is_ a dream, though. I cannot blame Lord Naruto for his fondness."

"You hush now!" Temari laughed as she strode away from the mirror to her bower's window while her ladies gossiped of various lords and ladies. Temari sank onto the plush pillow of her window seat, watching the stream of horse-drawn carriages and guard details pour in through the open gates of the desert palace. Many had come from far and wide to woo the indomitable Temari of the Sand, and many would leave with their hopes ruthlessly dashed. Temari leaned her cheek in her hand with a weary smile.

"Father only wants to marry me off so that I can produce a male heir before he has to relinquish his throne to me." Temari was the only one available to be heir, but her father still refused it, as she was a woman. Their mother had died in childbirth of Gaara, and her loss drove their father to weld iron around his heart. He became dispassionate and totalitarian and cruel. It drove Kankuro to rebel and renounce his royal name to escape into the desert sands, and poor little Gaara was driven mad and imprisoned for his insanity and malice. In love for her poor baby brother, she arranged for his smuggling beyond the border.

Temari was the only one who knew what had become of them. Somehow, in the vast full world, they had reclaimed their own identities and were living peaceful lives in the neighboring forest land of Konoha, under the protection of the very princeling that had half-heartedly courted Temari. He was a fool with his heart on his sleeve, but Temari was at least grateful he had offered her displaced brothers a home with no strings attached. She smirked wryly as she watched the sun sink below the red sands. "It is a curse to be a woman, but especially in royalty. Count yourselves lucky in that, my dears," she said as she turned back to her waiting ladies. They all bowed their heads and shuffled their feet. _The world will still be cruel to them. It has no love of the female sex, _she grimaced.

It didn't matter if the world had no love for Temari. Every mountain that it tossed as her would be flung aside with the force of a sandstorm. She would not relinquish her agency, not for anything. "Is it time?" she asked, and languidly rose from the window seat. Darkness had descended over the desert; one by one, the braziers scattered around the palace were springing alive with flame.

"Yes, my lady."

"Come then. Let us see what the desert winds have brought us," Temari smiled and strolled towards the door. Two of her ladies carried her sprawling skirt train, while another held her hand to escort her properly. Together, they wound around the spiraling sandstone steps of her tower suite into the main wing of the lofty palace. The ball was already underway; lamplight glowed at the end of the carpeted hall, soft and yellow, and minstrels' music floated on the air. As they rounded the corner, Temari watched the shadows dance along the walls. Dark men led grey ladies in dance all around her. They danced like their feet rested on the ever-present wind, skirts swishing like banners caught high in the morning breeze. Temari wondered if any among them would intrigue her enough even to entertain the thought of marriage. _Most likely not. Most of them desire the iron mines, not me. _

Politics was a cutthroat world, after all.

"Hail, Princess Temari!" a squire announced as she and her ladies strode into the ballroom. The attendants paused their revelry to return the hailing and bow respectfully to her. Their masked personages studied her as she marched to the long, clothed table situated at the back of the room, where her father was stuffing his face with roast quail imported from Konoha. They were lucky their kingdom sat upon the densest concentration of ore in all the realm, else he would likely be dining on stewed rat. Temari seated herself in the gilded chair beside him, and the servants wasted no time in procuring her a plate laden with delicacies imported from almost every kingdom in the Great Alliance.

"So, my daughter," King Rasa tutted as he cracked the wing joint of the artichoke-stuffed bird, "many have come to look upon your beauty. Will you not at least give them the pleasure of a smile?"

"That pleasure must be earned," she answered stoically and crunched on a tomato with only enough force to not breach propriety. He scowled at her.

"Willful girl. You should show more respect to your father."

"That pleasure must also be earned." Temari ignored his scathing glares to partake in the lovely spinach salad before her. Rasa continued to silently fume beside her; Temari wished she could exploit her willfulness in full capacity, but she _did_ owe a duty to her kingdom to find a suitable husband, at least. As she chewed on the tender flesh of the quail, her sea-blue eyes raked the crowd of lords and ladies. A multitude of masks pranced within the sea of bodies- a blooming lotus, a roaring bear, a graceful swan, a gallant lion, a watchful crow, a tusked boar, and a colorful butterfly, to name a few. However, it was the majestic stag that caught her gaze for more than a few seconds, as its wearer strode undauntedly up to the royal table.

"Your Majesty. My Lady," he uttered respectfully as he held a hand to his chest and bowed down to a ninety-degree-angle. The curved white horns of his mask jutted into the air like pale fulgurite. Black eyes twinkled behind the white-spotted curves of the mask as the man smirked at Temari. "Care to dance?" He asked while extending his hand to the princess. Temari had to summon all the will in her body to keep her mouth from falling open. _What cheek, to beseech me as I am eating! _The glimmer in his onyx eyes indicated that he was well aware of the nerve of his action. Temari found herself smiling at his boldness. No man had ever dared so brazenly court her. Despite her father's complaints, she found herself bundling up her skirts to hurry around the edge of the table.

"It would be my pleasure, good sir," she responded once she was in front of him, dropping into a curtsy. His smirk widened when she slipped her hand into his. A pink haze alighted her cheeks as he brought it to his mouth to drop a kiss onto it. Those glinting obsidian eyes bored into hers, like a thunderstorm rolling upon the blue-green sea. The snark and self-assurance were a welcome change from simpering, underhanded compliments. Thus, she allowed him to sweep her out onto the dance floor without so much as a peep.

"I had wanted to wait until you finished eating," he admitted as he settled his hand upon her waist and held her other aloft, "but the crowd was rippling with your compliment. I realized I had to make a good first impression. Have I succeeded?"

"No man has ever dared interrupt my dinner."

"I'll take that as a 'yes,'" he purred. He eased into the movements as the band started up their melody, circling her around the marble dance floor. Temari's dress swished around her knees as he rocked her gently with the beat, guiding her with utter surety. It was clear that her suitor was of high birth, perhaps even a prince.

"Tell me. From where do you come?"

"The vast forest lands to the east, if it pleases My Lady," he responded. He paused to spin her around before easily reclaiming her slender corseted waist. "My family has long made a living developing medicines and droughts for the illnesses of the world."

"You're Shikamaru Nara?" she gasped in shock, and he nodded. The Naras were under the dominion of the Uzumaki's kingdom, a noble house renowned for their doctors rather than their knights. They were known to keep very much to themselves, marrying middleborn children of dukes and minor lords. One had never been so bold as to court a princess, let alone one of the heirs to the vast wealth of the Sand Kingdom. Temari found herself relishing the fact. "You _are_ bold."

"I imagine you grow bored of empty flatteries and the whispers of sycophants who want nothing more than to usurp your throne."

"How do I know I am not in the arms of a usurper as we speak?" A delighted smirk flashed on his lips, and Shikamaru brought his face close, close enough for his hot breath to puff over her face. A titillated shiver traveled the length of her spine.

"I care not for caverns of iron or halls of gold. My interest lies in a single topaz shimmering in the vastness of the desert." Temari's cheeks blazed with the pinkness of an opal, and she shifted her fingers that were clasped in his hand, feeling them grow clammy with nervous sweat. Many had compared her to precious gems before, but this was the first time it sent a nervous titter springing through her nerves. "It is true, some in this realm are more renowned for their beauty-" Shikamaru cast a look at a raven-haired woman in a moonflower mask who was undoubtedly the Hyuga heiress, "but I find that the flower that blooms under hardship puts them all to shame."

"And what hardship would that be?" Temari asked with a coy grin.

"The crushing thumb of a father who values you more for what is between your legs than what you have to offer." His lewdness set a blaze to her cheeks, but his words rang hollowly in her heart. Her chin dropped against her chest as she bowed her head, for tears were gleaming on her blonde lashes.

"You speak truly. My father wishes to marry me quickly, so that I may produce an eligible heir."

"A pity. I have heard much of the shrewd tenacity of the Desert Rose." The epithet had always grated her. There were much more distinguished and inspiring names she could bear, but she was known for her looks more than anything else. Still, hearing Shikamaru call her such was more bearable than usual. He stepped a little closer to her as he continued to ease her through the dance steps so that their chests brushed. When she glanced up, he was staring into the crowd. "None of these men care for your value, really. They want power, or influence, or wealth. It is dangerous and disappointing to be a woman in politics." Temari blinked disbelievingly. _Surely, he must be speaking words that I wish to hear to gain my trust. This man may be more cunning and sly than all the lords in this hall- and so the most perilous. _She jumped when he peeked at her with a wry smile. "You are thinking my words dishonest, a ploy to lead you into a false sense of security."

"Indeed. What man has ever cared for a woman's place in this world?"

"A man who recognizes an amazing woman when he sees one." Despite her misgivings, her cheeks still flushed again. He flashed her a sincere smile. "I arrived here four days ago. I wanted to know if the tales of the courteous and intelligent Lady Temari were true. So, I disguised myself and wandered the town. The townsfolk and knights speak very highly of you," he said, making Temari smile shyly. "Your council has averted war many a time. You reallocate funds to ensure the people have food and water and healthcare. I've even heard you descended into the rabble to deliver medicine to plague-ridden peasants while your father insisted that three doctors attend him until the sickness dissipated."

"The people gossip. Rumor is a powerful thing."

"But most rumor contains a speck of truth, no?" Caught red-handed, Temari could only bashfully look down at her feet. It was true; Temari boasted many a political feat. Her father had once been a kind and just man, but age and toil had disfigured him into someone paranoid and venal.

"My father has forgotten that without the people, we are nothing. They are our charge. It is our responsibility to protect and care for them. All he cares about protecting now is his house and his wealth," she sighed dismally with a glance Rasa. He was in fervent discussing with King Minato Namikaze and his queen Kushina; her father was always bleating about maintaining a good relationship until they could stab them in the back and usurp their fertile forest territory. Temari quite liked the royal family, as they were just and fair and well-liked by their people, so she had coaxed her father out of fruitless war efforts many a time. "I am but a means to an end," she lamented quietly, turning back to him to look at him pitifully.

He released her waist to grip her chin between his thumb and forefinger.

"It would be a pity if the beautiful Desert Rose wilted before she ever got to bloom," he murmured. The pad of his thumb ever-so-gently brushed over her bottom lip. His dark eyes studied her intently, and all Temari could do was stare. She had never meant a man like this, that sent her heart fluttering because he saw _her_, not her throne or her father.

She was gripped with the overwhelming need to see _him_.

"I wish to leave this place. Be alone… with you." He flashed her a beguiling smirk.

"As My Lady wishes." They ceased dancing, and the room erupted into pleased applause. He offered her his arm, which she took, wrapping her hands around his bicep. He guided her back into the throng, meandering through the mass of royals to lead her towards the exit. They chatted amiably with various prominent figures, and though he was of lower birth, Shikamaru commanded more presence than even the most celebrated kings. After what seemed a life age, they finally slipped behind one of the tapestries into a servants' passage. There, Temari grabbed him by the hand and broke into a run. His startled gasp bounced through the small crawlspace, followed by her gleeful laughter.

"How do you know your way through here?!" he asked loudly as she expertly weaved through the labyrinthine array of tunnels. She stuck out her tongue at him over her shoulder.

"How do you think I snuck out to deliver medicine?"

By the time they burst into the garden, they were red-faced and panting. The moonlight streamed down from a cloudless sky, casting the world in its milk-white glow. The garden was actually a vast greenhouse, as the arid desert climate made it difficult to cultivate most plants. The glass panes misted with condensation from the evening's watering and the plants' respiration. This particular section was the garden proper; another area was cordoned off for the kitchen's supply. Flowers imported from all corners of the realm bloomed here, but regardless of what color their soft petals boasted, they were dyed silver from the starlight.

Temari strolled to a stone bench nearby and sat down, tucking the thick fabric of her skirts under her thighs. Shikamaru eased down beside her and sighed exultantly.

"It's a beautiful garden."

"I imagine the forests of your homeland are much better. Wild, untamed, not carefully tended with every errant leaf snipped away," she frowned with a glance around the pristine garden. Shikamaru chuckled and leaned back on his hands.

"You've got me there." He paused, inhaling the air laden with the robust aroma of loamy soil and fresh water. "There's nothing like it, Temari," he breathed wistfully. "Wandering the paths through the wood, with the birdsong filling the air and decaying leaves crunching under your feet… There is so much life out there, so much wonder." He gave her a humorous look. "Still, the desert has its beauty too." He punctuated the remark with a graze of his knuckles over her cheek. She leaned into the caress, smiling softly.

"Yes. The sky stretches on forever, like a blanket of sapphire over the world… And the sunsets are magnificent. Many a time I have watched the world fall away as the colors bleed over the horizon like paint, filling the kingdom with the glow… I can forget, sometimes, and just watch it sink. No crown, no throne, no iron mines… Just the _majesty_ of it."

Shikamaru smiled, then removed the mask from his face. His sharp jawline seemed all the finer in the white light, and his dark eyes shone like polished hematite. He was incredibly handsome. As Temari stared, his hands came to her face to gently remove the hawk mask from her face, and she allowed him to do so. Slowly, he pulled it away, and drew in a sharp breath.

"You are more beautiful than I could have imagined." She flushed, her cheeks glowing rose in the soft light. He stroked her cheek again, and the pad of his thumb spawned a trail of fire across her cheekbone. His fingertips skipped down her jawline to rest against the column of her throat, feeling the blood pulse thunderously through her veins. "Beautiful, and much too special to be doomed to a bridal gown."

"Yet, doomed I am," she whispered woefully. Shikamaru was a splendid man, more honest and enticing than any she had ever met. Yet, if the courtship proved fruitful, she would still be no more than his bride. Their son, when he came of age, would be ripped from their grasp to begin training for his role as Rasa's successor. Frustrated tears sprung to her eyes to then roll down her cheeks. Shikamaru tutted softly and swept them away, only for more to come. "I am no more than a tool in political bargaining. My talents will never be acknowledged by my father. Whomever I marry, I will be shipped off like common goods and serve only to spawn heirs." She hung her head, sniffling. "It is a lamentable existence."

"Lamentable indeed," he remarked in a soothing whisper, "but is it entirely horrible?" She peered through her blonde lashes at him. "Temari, I cannot give you all that you seek. I cannot change your father's mind." He smiled wanly and cupped her face in his hands; they were so warm and comforting. "All I have to offer you is my heart, true as death. I will love you and you only. I cannot make you a queen, but you shall always rule me. I will live only for your happiness." His voice shattered into a ragged whisper full of emotion, and Temari did not doubt that he spoke truthfully. Her hands rose to stroke the tops of his and her eyes fluttered as she attempted to dry her tears.

"That doesn't sound _entirely_ horrible," she admitted with a small laugh. He smiled relievedly and continued caressing her teary face.

"I wish more than anything that you could be given what you deserve," he said softly and pressed his forehead to hers. "I am sorry. What I can give you falls utterly short of it."

"No," she refused and smiled kindly at him. "What you have offered me tonight is more than anyone has ever given. If you offer me your hand, I will take it gladly," she said and stroked his chin, her fingertips rolling over the black stubble, "for you are the first man who has ever offered himself wholly to me."

"I pity all the men who have come before. They knew not the treasure within their grasp," he smiled thickly. Her eyes now studied his face, the lines and the contours. He truly was handsome, but it was clear that his honesty had caused him much grief. The world was just as cruel to honest and just men as it was to women. Her sea-blue eyes dropped to his lips, and she fancied kissing them. It seemed Shikamaru was having similar thoughts.

Their lips melded together, slotting together like the were made for one another. Her fingers ghosted the side of his face in repetitive touches, while his found purchase on her waist, pulling her closer. His breath clouded over her mouth as he shifted his head to the other side to kiss her with more fervor, drawing a small, needy moan from within her. Their arms wound around each other and every inch of skin possible touched, but it was not enough, not nearly enough…

The world was cruel to Temari, but it was kind enough to give her someone who loved her utterly, truly, wholly… and in that moment, it was enough. It was enough.


	27. A Place in this World

Category: General Fluff, Angst

Characters: Ino Yamanaka

_Hello, everyone! I wanted to do something for Kunoichi Week (since we all love our ninja ladies)! So, here's a story for the Day 6 prompt, "Sad Moments"! _

A faint mist drifted through the headstones of the graveyard. The grey-white clumps of condensed water molecules swam through the dark gray stones like wispy-finned fish trawling a kelp garden. They would flit between the mounds, ghosts of once corporeal forms, before they would dissolve into the air without so much as a sound. They fled the oncoming of the sun, which poked over the top of the full-branched oak trees ringing the cemetery; its warm rays would evaporate them into nothingness, which was a pretty depressing way to end, Ino supposed. With lidded periwinkle-blue eyes, she watched the ghostly school of fog-fish traverse the invisible currents between the headstones from the threshold of the iron-wrought gate.

"I'd better get going. I don't want to be late for the mission briefing," Ino quietly encouraged herself. The plastic wrapping around the freshly-cut green stems of the lilies she held crinkled as she clenched her hands. So many times she had visited this place, yet it never grew any easier. It still felt like she was diving into dark black water to sink into a crushing abyss; her lungs spasmed in her chest, screaming for oxygen because she simply couldn't will herself to breathe. Just as her cheeks would tinge with the faintest hint of blue, Ino would gasp, flooding her ailing tissue with the life-giving air. She stood there just like she had so many times before, panting as the fear and dread crept into her body. "I-I'd better get going," she whispered again.

This time, Ino willed her feet to move forward.

Her mind was far, far away at this point, somewhere amongst the ghostly fish swimming in the mist around her. Yet, muscle memory navigated her to the desired headstone. Her eyelashes fluttered as she stared unseeing down at the rock, which had darkened slightly with the clinging condensation. _ASUMA SARUTOBI _was carved into the surface in neat characters. Ino pinched her bottom lip between her teeth as it threatened to wobble. No, it never got any easier, reconciling with the fact that her beloved sensei was dead.

Ino sank to her knees before the gravestone. With quivering hands, she laid the bouquet of lilies at the base of the smooth rock structure. The tears beaded in her eyes like the dewdrops clinging to the grass. The water droplets splashed against her bare calves as she tucked her legs underneath herself. She rested her hands on her lap and just stared at the gravestone. Most of the time, she struggled with what to say. Most people just talking monotonously about their day or sobbed about how hard it was without them when they visited a loved one's grave. Those sentiments held for Ino, yet somehow she felt like it was a disservice to Asuma. Would he sit there and listen to her blather mindlessly about the humdrum of her daily life?

"Heh. Of course you would," Ino chuckled softly under her breath. Asuma'd light a cigarette and listen in silence, with the faintest hint of a smile upon his lips. Ino shifted slightly as her legs began to prickle with numbness, then straightened her back.

"Shikamaru, Choji and I went to see Mirai yesterday for her first birthday. She's gotten so big! Her hair is just like Kurenai's, dark and thick and wavy… Her eyes too, so bright and red. I see you in her smile, though," Ino smiled wanly as she imagined the funny little girl running around. "Shikamaru and Temari are keeping on with that weird 'we're-into-each-other-but-totally-don't-realize-it-thing,'" Ino laughed amiably. "I wish they would just get a move on and start dating already! It's so obvious to everyone but them, apparently." She felt a little silly at first, just talking to a rock, but once the words started coming, they came more naturally. She could almost feel the man sitting in front of her, with one knee kicked up with his elbow propped on it while he took a deep drag from his cigarette. The wispy currents of mist floated around her still, and she imagined that it was the smoke from the orange-and-white bud trailing down from his smiling face.

"The flower shop is doing well! We just got a new shipment in," she said with a gesture to the fresh cluster of lilies. "I haven't decided yet if I want to take it over completely," she frowned and puffed out her cheeks pensively. "I enjoy medical ninjutsu. I've also considered working in the hospital with Sakura, but… I'm just not sure." With a forlorn sigh, she hung her head. "I'm not really sure of my future at all, Asuma-sensei… When I was younger, everything seemed so simple… I just had to keep pushing forward. The problem is, I'm just not sure what exactly I'm heading for anymore." She fiddled her feet behind her, digging little trenches into the damp earth with her toes. "I wish you were here. I know you'd give me really good advice…"

Ino's eyes became lidded as she gazed sadly down at the stone. It remained silent, though she wished so desperately that she could hear Asuma's voice drifting out of it. Ino knew that she would have to come to these decisions by herself, but sometimes it was just reassuring to have an older adult to ask for advice. It was something she sorely missed.

The sun had bubbled over the canopy of the trees to spill its hot yellow rays over the village. The spears of light kissed Ino's shoulders to spread a soothing warmth over her skin. The mist tendrils had vanished with the oncoming of the sun, not wishing to vanish so unceremoniously. Despite the heat gracing the world, Ino's heart remained a cold, sad core within her body, making it feel like ice flooded through her nerves. The tears resting in the corners of her eyes finally slipped down her cheeks.

"I miss you a lot, Asuma-sensei."

A breeze rolled in, making ripples across the smooth glass blades. It plucked at Ino's long tresses of platinum-blonde hair to make it ruffle like the cascading waters of a waterfall. The droplets falling from her cheeks stained her plum-colored skirt a violet hue. Ino wasn't sure why all the uncertainty of her life was mounting up on her just then, but regardless, it spilled over like boiling water over the edge of a pot. She wiped at her face with the heels of her palms, but the tears continued to stream down. "Nothing seems certain anymore… I know it's not really that big of a decision, but I feel overwhelmed, just the same," she lamented. "I love that our future is peaceful and bright, I just… I'm not really sure of my place in it anymore."

Ino's words faltered in her throat, and her nose wrinkled when she smelled the sudden acrid aroma of cigarette smoke. She straightened up and looked around wildly, thinking that perhaps Shikamaru had come to visit the grave as well and had lit up one of the tobacco buds. However, aside from herself, the cemetery was empty. The scent was unmistakable, though; she could never forget that faint hint of smoke clinging to Asuma's clothes. The familiar aroma wafted around her body not unlike the morning mist, as if it were embracing her.

"Hehe, you're right. _Of course_ I have a place," Ino laughed wanly. How silly of her to think such a thing. Regardless of what the future may hold, Ino always had a place in the Hidden Leaf. The scent of cigarette smoke continued to waft around her as if to agree. She smiled brightly and tossed her hair lightly over her shoulder. "You know, who's to say I can't do _both_?" she reasoned amusedly. "The beautiful medical-nin who moonlights as a florist. What do you say to that, Asuma-sensei?"

The smoke scent intensified for a second, or at least, she imagined it did. Perhaps the smell was all in her head, but it comforted her nonetheless. "I think it sounds pretty great," she laughed. She pretty much decided on her own. Still, she liked to think Asuma listened to her and showed her the way in some sense or another. Ino rose with a pleased sigh and brushed the dirt and grass bits from the fabric of her skirt. Based on the position of the sun, Ino still had a good fifteen minutes to report to her mission briefing. "Thanks, Asuma-sensei," she smiled amiably at the stone. The smoke scent had faded, but she imagined that he was still listening to her. The breeze rustled the lilies sitting at her feet.

_Just like I have a place here, you'll always have a place in my heart, Asuma-sensei, _she thought gratefully. _Now. Off to the future! _With the sun on her back, Ino strode onward to uncertain, but definitely bright, future.


End file.
